Love Always
by GigglesMarie
Summary: Things ended up being very different after The Battle of Hogwarts. Draco was now a friend rather than a foe. Ron and Harry were Aurors while Ginny played for the Holyhead Harpies. But as for Hermione...life turned out to be very odd...Hermione wasn't ready to confront him, but now she had no other choice. What could go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**

The characters and some other mentions are not of my own imagination. They solely belong to the one and only J.K Rowling. Without her none of us would have ever received our letters to Hogwarts and the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

 **Epilogue**

This story slightly picks off where we last left our wizarding trio at the battleground of Hogwarts. Voldemort is defeated and his followers were either captured or have taken off in terror at the defeat of their Dark Lord.

Harry, Ron and Hermione gazed at the destruction of the one place that they called home for the last seven years. They couldn't believe that he was finally gone. They looked at each other and just knew that things were going to be much better and quitter.

But only for a little while. Five years to be exact.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Time Lost**

He had a quizzical look on his face as he shuffled through a rather large stack of papers.

"This doesn't make sense." He suggested to the darkness surrounding him as he gripped the wand that illuminated his face. He had been in contact with his fellow Aurors, reading the paper and striving for any information from his long list of contacts ever since she left them.

She left them both at the alter six months ago. Technically, he wasn't the one she really left but he was up there with his best friend nonetheless. He knew how distraught Ron had been over the whole incident, but he himself didn't fully understand why it had happened. Ron shut him out for a few weeks and Ginny has since urged him to not speak of it to him. Whenever Ron is reminded of Hermione he falls apart instantly. Even though Ron now has a new girlfriend, he still has little conniptions at the mention of her. Harry REALLY didn't understand any of it and hated that he couldn't ask.

Ginny was just as worried about finding Hermione as she was at keeping Ron level headed. She knew that he rushed into this new relationship out of heartache. It was tearing her apart and she had not been able to sleep well ever since Hermione left and it was killing Harry. He didn't like that this was keeping her up at night as well. Sex and sleep were none existent for the past five months with all the stress and tension. Both of them were on their guard just in case they heard the smallest clue that would point them to Hermione.

Their friends were worried, but not as greatly affected. Neville and Luna were on their honeymoon when it happened. They really wanted to be there for Ron, but he insisted that they enjoy their love because it won't last forever (He was very romantic towards everyone that day). Dean and Seamus really thought that Hermione would pop back up and claim that she was only playing some cruel joke that George put her up to. However, George claimed that he had no part in her disappearance that day and that he wouldn't want to be a part of breaking Ron's heart; he wasn't a right foul git he said. Even Draco had an opinion on her whereabouts.

Draco was present on the day of their wedding and he rushed to Ron's side along with Harry. Draco was Ron's last choice for a groomsman since Neville couldn't go on his honeymoon until after Luna gave birth to their son, which was around the time of the wedding. It was all just bad timing. Either way, Draco had really shined through that day for Ron. Harry was extremely grateful that he was able to help with everything considering the events of that day. Malfoy mentioned something to Harry a few days ago that hasn't left his mind though.

Malfoy told him that if Hermione didn't want to be found then they wouldn't find her. He knew that Draco was right about this, she is the smartest witch they know, but Harry had a feeling about it that he just couldn't shake. None if it made much sense. Hermione left them without warning and on her wedding day. He had to find her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A New Dawn**

She awoken to the sound of birds and the sun warming her. Her brown curly hair fell over her face as she stretched and emerged from bed. Today was the day! She was getting ready to start a new position at the hospital this day and she was very excited about it.

Hermione descended the spiral metal staircase that connected her room to the main floor. She could smell eggs, sausages and toast as she made her way to the kitchen. Her roommate Darcy was busy cooking breakfast for them, which was a rarity of its own.

"Darcy, it smells amazing!" Darcy whipped around quickly to catch Hermione's grateful expression and to exchange smiles.

"Well its not ever day that ya mate is promoted to head Doctor! I wanted to make today the best day for ya. A good breakfast will get ya on the right foot." She smiled as she placed a plate of food on the counter for Hermione.

"You really didn't have to do this." she bit into her sausage as she gave Darcy a teasing look.

"Oye, get off it. Ya know ya love it!" she beamed. "Now hurry up before ya miss ya first shift. Don't want to be late I reckon."

"Oh no! I need to leave!" she grabbed her toast and shoved the rest of her eggs into her mouth before waving and heading out the door.

She really did appreciate her roommate. Darcy was from Australia, but she quickly picked up on how things were done in Italy. They actually found each other while reading a rental sign in a coffee shop. Darcy had been thinking of moving to Italy, because she fell in love with the country during one of her vacations to Europe. As for Hermione, it was a lovely distance from London where Ron was still living. She wanted a decent amount of distance from him and other wizards and witches who knew her face. In Italy, the wizarding community had really only heard of Harry Potter, but not of Ron or Hermione. It was the perfect place for her to settle down without having to leave Europe.

"Welcome Doctors to the new wing of the hospital." A rather tall, lanky and older woman spoke to the five of them as they gathered around her. Hermione was ecstatic as the tour of the new hospital wing was about to begin for the next few hours.

* * *

"I hope that you all will find the new accommodations to your liking as you together will be solely in charge of this wing. Doctor Granger, Maddox, Lefure, McDoogle and Lestrange you will all dine together today and become better acquainted with each other before you begin collaborating tomorrow." She ended the tour by directing them towards the cafeteria where they were all suppose to make small talk before actually working together. Hermione wasn't looking forward to this especially after hearing the last name Lestrange. There was only one witch she knew who bared that last name. Her arm tingled in the same area Bellatrix had carved Mudblood into it years ago at the thought of that deranged woman.

After going through the line, the five of them sat down together next to the largest window at a round table. Between the five of them, Hermione was the only woman in the group. She didn't mind since she was used to being the only female within a group like in Hogwarts. It was a natural comfort to her really. She hadn't realized how much she really missed Harry and Ron.

"So" she jerked her head up and shoved back the thought of them while starring into the eyes of the person who just spoke. "My name is Flint Lestrange and I have been working in this field for about six years last month." He hadn't taken his eyes off of Hermione's and when no one spoke she finally said something.

"I am Hermione Granger" she broke eye contact with Flint to look at the others who were now starring at her. "I have been practicing for seven years." She left it at that as she looked onto the person on her right to speak.

Hermione was exhausted mentally and physically from her day and was more than happy to be walking through the front door. However, she wasn't expecting to hear voices when she did. Darcy was typically good at alerting her to guests coming over and she hadn't heard anything about it all day. She kept a light hand over her wand as she cautiously turned around the corner.

"Oye, Hermione's finally home!" Darcy alerted the guest and as he turned around to face her she knew exactly whom it was.

"Draco? What are you doing here? How in the world did you find me!?" she couldn't believe it. He found her. Out of all of them Malfoy was the one who finally did it.

"Hey now is that how you welcome an old friend that you haven't seen for six months?" Draco closed the space between them rather quickly to hug her. She was still processing what was going on and awkwardly patted him on the back while he hugged her.

"Hermione" Darcy interrupted "I think I oughta run to the market for some things. I'll see ya when I return then?" Hermione quickly turned around to look at Darcy as she grabbed her keys and made her way to the front door. She really didn't want to see Darcy leave them both alone, but thought otherwise to protest.

"Yes, I plan on staying here and not leaving. Draco may be gone by the time you are back though." She looked at Darcy with wanting in her eyes as she tucked some of her hair behind her right ear.

"Or I won't be gone" he interjected with his signature smirk. At that Darcy chuckled and left the house. Hermione wasn't ready to confront Malfoy, but now she had no other choice. She turned to meet his piercing grey eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Ideas**

Ginny was just finishing up practice with her team the Holyhead Harpies, when she was stopped on her way to the locker room by an old friend.

"Geny!" Viktor called after her on his way out for practice. "Any vord on Hermy?" Ginny smiled at Viktor as he approached her and she was reminded that he never did learn how to properly say Hermione's name. He always had trouble pronouncing it correctly and went from saying _Hermy-own-ninny_ to shorting it to _Hermy._

"No, neither Harry or I have heard anything new about Hermione." His eyes saddened at this news. A small part of Ginny wondered if Viktor had hopped that she left Ron for him. It definitely crossed Ron's mind when she disappeared. She really like Krum though and was optimistic that he had no clue where Hermione really was. Viktor was smitten by Hermione and she was sure that if he knew where she was that he would avoid Ginny and Harry at all costs. Which was the exact opposite of his actions.

"Oh no. I miz her Geny. I vorry bout her everyday." Viktor looked sadly up at the clouds as he shook his head. She could tell that he really meant what he was saying. Ginny felt bad for him and she missed Hermione too despite what she did to her brother and husband.

"I do too Viktor." Ginny grabbed his arm in sympathy. It was sad how her absence was affecting every one of her friends. They all really did miss Hermione greatly. Well, everyone except for her mother and Ron's new girlfriend Lucy. Molly wasn't very pleased about her son being left at the alter and Lucy didn't like to be reminded of the only woman Ron has ever really loved.

"She vill be back again." He smiled at her and patted her hand that was still resting on his arm. "Sooner than later hopefully." She smiled back at him and released his arm from her soft grasp. "Vell I better go to practice. Bye Geny!" Viktor waved goodbye as he headed toward the field for practice.

* * *

"Ginny! Is that you babe?"

"Yes, I'll be up in a moment!" she responded to Harry before placing her duffle bag in the downstairs closet. One wouldn't recognize Grimwald place without being told that's where they were. Shortly after finishing school and becoming engaged, Ginny and Harry cleaned up Grimwald place to make it much more livable. They were able to figure out a way to get rid of Sirius's mother's ghost even though Kretcher was still upset about it years later. They didn't think that he would ever get over that. Nowadays he stays hidden in his room in the attic, too depressed to leave it. Harry thinks that he is going to die soon and so does Winky. Winky decided to dedicate her life to helping Harry and Ginny with anything that they needed since Dobby died. Dobby's death was the kind of kick in the ass that she needed to stop being a mourning drunk. Harry insisted that she didn't have to serve them at Grimwald Place, but Ginny was happy about it for Kretchers sake at least.

"Hey Harry." She walked into his study and kissed him on the lips. After bringing her face back from their kiss, Ginny rubbed her nose lightly on the tip of Harry's as she smiled. She then went to turn around as he put his arm around her waste.

"Oh no you don't. I'm not finished." Their lips met once more as Harry's hands wandered along her body. The kissing began to intensify as they quickly moved towards his chair.

She shoved him to sit down as she removed his glasses and placed them on his desk. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt while kissing any skin that became visible. Once she reached his pant, she swiftly unbuttoned and unzipped them while starring into his green eyes the entire time. Without looking down she placed her mouth over his erected penis. His mouth parted slightly as he played with her bright red hair; moaning just a bit.

After a few minutes she slowed down ever so slightly as if to savor the moment. Her teeth lightly grazed his penis as she came back up to the very tip, breathing lightly on his exposed genitals making it become slightly cold. Harry couldn't take it anymore; he quickly lifted her onto his desk, tore her shirt off and pulled down her pants to find that she was wearing his favorite red and gold thong. His face broke into a grin as Ginny teasingly removed them. She flung them at Harry who caught them and dropped the thong to the floor as Ginny wrapped her legs around him, pulling him towards her and his desk where she slowly inserted him into her.

Their bodies moved in sync with each other as Harry teased her nipples. His teeth nibbled on her left nipple while he pinched her right nipple with his left hand. She threw back her head as she moaned with pleasure. He knew her weakness as he was bringing her to climax. His right hand was following her spin as it moved up her back and rested at her neck.

After the thrilling experience of the afternoon, Ginny decided to shower her Quidditch practice and sex off of her body. She walked naked through the house knowing that Winky was down stairs preparing dinner for them.

Even though their home used to be uncomfortably gaudy and uninhabitable, they had made many improvements that made Grimwald Place much more pleasing. Their master bathroom was definitely one of those places. It was a dark room filled with lots of black and purples (as the rest of the house!). They remolded it to remind them of Hogwarts. The walls were covered with stone inserts to give it kind of a castle feel to it. The tub was removed and replaced with a jet infused tub that was large enough for the both of them to bathe in together. In the opposite corner of the tub, they placed a walk in shower big enough for Hargid that contained multiple shower heads on one end and a small space where water didn't touch for lathering purposes. The toilet was placed in a closet sized space with a glass door for separation while the shower was a snowy glass. Ginny started the shower and stepped inside while the water quickly rose to her desired temperature and let her hair fill with water as Harry entered the room.

"What's for dinner love?" Harry kissed her cheek after entering the shower with her.

"Hmmm. I was kind of thinking of salmon, mashed potatoes and asparagus." She threw a grin his way. Asparagus wasn't really one of his favorite sides for a dish, but she did make him eat them every now and then.

"Ewww. Really? Asparagus Ginny?" little did he know, Winky was already making the meal.

"Of course, it's been a few months since you've last had asparagus. You need to eat healthy every now and then. You're an Auror for Christ sake." He decided not to argue with her any further on the subject. They have had these kinds of conversations plenty of times before and she knew she was right on the subject. No, instead Harry picked up the sponge and lathered it with soap and began to wash Ginny's back. He knew that she always had issues with washing her back and that she loved it when he helped her.

"Ginny" she looked at him as she lathered her hair with shampoo. "Do you know what Draco's been up to lately?" he asked her carefully.

"I have no idea." She didn't give it much thought really, but then she became a tad curious. "Why do you ask? I thought we were all on good terms now." They switched sides in the shower as she questioned him, so that she could rinse her hair off.

"Well we are all on good terms. Its just that I noticed that he's been going away a lot for travel and I find it a tad curious." Now she was looking at him like he was insane. "I just can't seem to explain this feeling that I have about the whole thing. He always tip toes around my questioning."

"Well he probably thinks that you still don't trust him. After all, that's how things kinda were at Hogwarts." Ginny interrupted him as she reached for her conditioner.

"True, but remember how I would get these feelings about people that I just couldn't explain?"

"You mean like you did with Snape?" Harry froze at the mention of his name. He owed that brilliant man so much for everything that he did for him while he was at Hogwarts. Ginny stopped massaging her scalp and hugged him. "I'm sorry, but you know you were wrong about Snape so who's to say you're not wrong about Malfoy?" Ginny kissed him on the lips and went back to the showerhead to wash off the conditioner.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: All Along**

Hermione was assessing Malfoy from top to bottom. _What was he doing here?_ She kept thinking the same question over and over again. _He doesn't appear to be bodily injured. No bleeding or bruises._ Which surprised her after a while since he went on to play Quidditch like Ginny, Wood and Viktor had after finishing school. Well, Viktor played professionally while still in school. Which wasn't really the point. She just felt so unnerved while the silence began to engulf them. _This is all his fault, so why is he even here?_

"Hermione," Draco spoke her name softly which startled her. This was not how the conversation was suppose to happen. She wanted to be in control of how this went about and not him. He started to pace around the room before continuing. "I was beginning to worry about you. The last time we saw each other things didn't end very well between us. I didn't want it to happen that way."

"Stop." He immediately closed his mouth and froze in place as his eyes met hers. Hermione began to tear up. "I will conduct this, not you. You're lucky I don't jinx you right here for just showing up without warning!" she was so furious with him. He nodded in response while he continued to hold their gaze.

"You had no right to show up here. I left to get away from you and them." She couldn't help the tears from escaping her eyes now. It was just too much for her to hold in. She hadn't really expressed herself to anyone after the events of her wedding day. Not even in private to herself. Instead she kept it all inside and threw herself into her work, which is how she managed to get to where she was that day. "How dare you."

"Now wait a minute Granger," he rushed up to her to take her hand as she reached for her wand at his outburst. He looked at her like she was a ravaging animal out to kill him. He slowly raised his hands to her as to show her that he meant no harm. "you and I both know that this way of going about things isn't fair to me." Hermione slowly placed her hand away from her pocket and to her side and Draco began to relax his arms.

"Yeah things between us have changed and things between the rest of us has changed, but you need to come back Hermione." He looked at her with saddened eyes and she could tell that he was dreading a no response. "We need you." Hermione just shook her head at his words.

"I can't come back. Not right now." Her head was spinning at the mess that was before her. She was always anxious when it came to studying and exams while growing up. Her relationships are what she was usually sure of, but now she wasn't sure of anything except for her new position. "Draco, I messed things up with Ron, Harry, Ginny…every one I cared about. I haven't been able to face what I did to them." She collapsed towards the floor as she began to sob.

"Hermione!" Draco wrapped her in his arms before she reached the floor. He began to stroke her hair as she cried even more. "Hey now. Shhhh. It will be alright." She buried her face into his chest as he continued to try and sooth her.

"Nooe…eit..www..on't.." she said between breaths. She managed to shake her head while still pressed against Malfoy's chest. Her sobbing continued while he rubbed her back lovingly.

"Yes it will. I won't let your life fall apart, because of what went on." He pulled her away from his chest to look at her. When she met his eyes he continued to speak. "You're beautiful and brilliant. Shit, they really miss you back in London. They all miss you. Even I miss you a tad bit." He smirked at her as her crying began to subside. Malfoy's smirk began to disappear while he watched as Hermione began to look at him with a furrowed brow.

"Why did you do it?" she had been wanting to ask him for the last six months, but had no desire to go back to London or send an owl and blow her cover to know the truth.

"I don't know." She looked at him completely perplexed. How in the world could he not know? He ruined her wedding day and yet here he was still holding onto her while at her most vulnerable. He didn't have a reason. She ruined everything for something that wasn't there.

"I'm so sorry that I kissed you on your wedding day. I don't know what came over me. You…you just looked so beautiful. Even now with tears remaining on your checks, a red nose and puffy eyes I find you to be beautiful." She couldn't believe what she was hearing in this moment. Malfoy was telling her that she was beautiful at her ugliest. The same Malfoy whom was extremely foul towards her all through out their Hogwarts career. But his eyes were telling her that he was speaking the truth. She learned Legitimacy and knew when others were lying to her and in this moment he had given her nothing but raw truth. "Why did you leave though? You could have still married Ron and been happy with life. You could have forgotten that the kiss had ever happened between us." He carefully watched her reaction as he asked.

"No Draco, I couldn't have. I can't be with Ronald." She sighed as she saw relief wash over him. "As soon as you kissed me I knew that I felt something for you. I couldn't marry him and have you immortalized within my wedding photos along with my small blossoming feelings for you. It wouldn't be fair towards Ronald or myself." Draco leaned his face towards hers and met her lips with his own.

Hermione pulled away after a few seconds of kissing Draco. She felt strange, but liberated in a sense. As if the huge weight of the past six months had been lifted off her shoulders. He was carefully waiting for her to react from their kissing. She shifted slightly and stood up from the floor.

"What are we doing?" Hermione finally asked him. She didn't care too much for not knowing what she was doing. This was one of those times that she wasn't sure of the situation.

"Dating." Draco said most assuredly as he stood up and grabbed onto Hermione's hands. "I want to be with you Granger. I always have wanted to be with you. Even at Hogwarts I thought you had a brilliant mind and were very beautiful. I was just so corrupted by my father and his Death Eater agenda that I couldn't see past it." He touched their foreheads and brought his nose to the tip of hers. "Please Hermione, be by my side."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: More Questions and Less Answers**

Harry couldn't escape what Ginny had said to him in the shower a few days ago. Yes he had been too quick to assume that Snape was against them when he was in fact a strong ally all along. However, he knew that Malfoy was keeping something from him. He just wasn't exactly sure what it was. He kept looking at his journal of well kept notes. He had taken into account all of Draco's travels and expenses, so he could hopefully find a pattern of some kind. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts on the matter.

"Yes, come in." Harry placed his journal on his desk as his visitor entered.

"Heya Harry" Arthur Weasley stepped inside his office and closed the door behind him carefully.

"Arthur, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Arthur sat down in front of Harry's desk. "How's Teddy doing?" Harry beamed at his father in law. He really did love his in laws. Arthur and Molly were like parents to him while he attended Hogwarts and since he didn't have his parents during that time, he quickly welcomed them into his life.

After Remus and Tonks were killed during the battling, Harry was too young to take care of hid God son during the summer time when Ted's grandmother allowed Harry to keep him; so he had Ted stay with Molly. This arrangement changed after Ginny and he married, but ever since Hermione vanished Ted has been back at the Burrow so they could focus on finding her. They knew that Ted was helping to heal Molly's wounded heart after the death of Fred. Teddy brought back more life into their lives and shortly after Teddy came Bill and Fleur's daughter Victorie.

"Oh Molly is loving every minute with him that she is. She says that she can't wait for another baby to get on its way here since Ted's five now." He looked a tad uncomfortable as he realized what he was saying to Harry. Harry just smiled and tried not to make eye contact. "I can't believe that it has been five years already." Harry couldn't believe it either. So much had happened within those five years.

"Yeah, time sure does fly by." Said Harry absent mindedly as they both stared at literally nothing to avoid eye contact with each other.

"Time flies?" Arthur looked at Harry with a very confused expression on his face.

"Ah, sorry that's a Muggle expression Arthur. Time does not actually fly. Its an expression used for when everything passes so quickly" at this point Harry was very used to automatically explaining his Muggle expressions, experiences, tools, you name it to his father-in-law. It was just a habit to do so now whenever he mentioned anything about their culture.

"How extraordinary." Arthur looked to be in his own little world at the thought of the Muggle interpretation of time flying.

"As much as I enjoy your company, I was in the middle of a case." Harry paused for a second as his father-in-law appeared to now be paying attention. " Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Ah yes, Molly wanted to have a big dinner for everyone at the Burrow this Friday. She has already invited Luna, Neville, Ron and Lucy, Bill, Fleur, Percy, Charlie, George, Angelina and she said for me to alert you and Ginny." Arthur added "Also, make sure to invite Draco and whomever he is dating." Even though everyone had made amends with Draco, it was still felt odd for Harry to hear invitations for his ex enemy.

"I don't think he is dating anyone exactly. But that does remind me." Harry paused, stood up and walked around his desk to lean against it facing Arthur. "Have you heard anything strange going on with Malfoy?"

"Well no I can't say that I have." He gave Harry a quizzical look. "Why?" Harry casually reached around to grab his journal that contained his detailed notes.

"Well, I just have this odd feeling that he is hiding something from me lately and I can't seem to shake it. I have been watching everyone just in case I'm missing something when it comes to Hermione's whereabouts." Arthur flinched a tad thanks to Hermione's name being mentioned. He'd been used to Ron yelling at everyone whenever he heard her name and now it was an instant reflect to flinch upon hearing it. "Look" Harry pointed at a well detailed map that was stapled into a page of his journal. "These are Draco's travel spots for the past year. I went further back than six months to see if he was always a vivid traveler." He began to flip through his journal to another page when Arthur spoke.

"Harry" Arthur interrupted, "you do recall that he is on a Quidditch team right? He might be traveling a lot for matches."

"Yes I have considered this before. That is why I looked even more carefully at things. I have received a public listing for his teams matches this year and none of them are in Italy. He has been to Italy once a week every month since Hermione has disappeared." He showed him the page of Draco's team matches with details of location and date. This time Arthur gave Harry a look that told him exactly what he first thought when he started piecing things together himself.

"So you think that Draco has found Hermione and has been visiting her ever since she left London?"

"No, I think that he has known about her being there ever since she left. I even think that he helped her leave." Harry watched as Arthurs faced paled even more than it already was.

"Merlin's beard…but why would he want to do such a thing when she was to marry Ron that day?" This was the one pivotal question that Harry didn't even have the slightest clue to.

"I have no idea. That's what I can't make sense of! And he keeps avoiding my questions." Harry ran his hand threw his hair as he thought about his next sentence. "I could always use veritaserum on him and get the truth once and for all."

"I don't know about that one Harry. You need to think long and hard before you do something like that. I don't think he would forgive you for using that on him." Harry couldn't help but to think that Arthur was right about that one. He would have to think long and hard before doing that. "Well, I better be on my way then. If you need to hash theories out again, you know where to find me. I'll let Molly know that you're joining us on Friday."

"See ya Arthur." He left Harry alone in his office to rethink his next steps for dinner at the Burrow.

* * *

"Harry, hurry up before they start dinner without us!"

"In a moment!" Harry responded as he watched the clear liquid move in the small vile as he turned it. He still was debating on using veritaserum on Draco to confirm his hunch. However, there was a small part of him that didn't want to betray his new trust that Malfoy had in him. Using this strong potion to get answers would definitely be cause for distrusting him in Draco's eyes. He heard Ginny's footsteps as she made her way up the stairs to him. He quickly slipped the vile in his coat pocket.

"Ready yet are you?" she looked very irritated for him making her wait.

"Yeah let's get going. You want to use the floo network or apparate?"

"Let's apparate; we are less likely to get sooty that way." She smiled as she was reminded of the time they took the floo network her first year to buy books and Harry ended up going to Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley.

"Hey now, let's not go down memory lane right now love." He chuckled as he pecked her on the cheek. "We're going to be late for dinner." He smiled widely as Ginny punched him on the arm for teasing her.

When they arrived at the Burrow, Teddy ran up to Harry and Ginny. His hair still remained a beautiful teal color, that usually changed when he was angry or sad; however, it usually stayed teal.

"Teddy! I've missed you so much" Harry lifted Teddy up and swung him around as he giggled from the rush. He loved his godson very much, like Sirius loved him he would imagine. Harry didn't want to be as reckless with Teddy as his godfather was to him though, he didn't want to be a dried up prune either. Another words, he was still trying to find a happy balance of the two.

"Harry put him down before you drop him please." Ginny was wanting to hug their godson too. He put Ted down and Ginny swooped him up. "I love you Ted."

"I love you too Gin." Ted gave her a kiss on the cheek as they walked into the house.

Molly was frantically roaming around the table when they walked through the door. Everyone was already sitting down at the table waiting for them to arrive so that they could begin to eat. Luna, Neville, Ron, Lucy, Percy, George, Angelina, Bill, Fleur, Victorie, Draco, Charlie and Arthur were all seated.

"Hey everyone" Harry and Ginny said in unison while everyone waved or verbally acknowledged their entrance. Ginny sat Ted next to Victorie so he could entertain the 4 year old and she sat next to Fleur. Harry promptly took a seat between Arthur and Ron.

"Hey Ron, I haven't seen you at work lately. Keeping busy?" Harry asked as they began to eat their food. He already knew the answer to this question, but nonetheless, he wanted to hear what Ron had to say. Hopefully someone found it interesting enough for a conversation piece and Hermione wouldn't be brought up tonight in front of him.

"Yeah" said Ron as he was chewing. Lucy nudged him for speaking with his mouth full as he rolled his eyes at her. He swallowed his food then continued speaking to Harry. "I've been traveling a bit trying to track down this god awful wizard that has been doing a load of terrifying things to muggles and wizards alike." Harry knew what case he was talking about all too well. It was kind of the talk of their department. No one really thought that Ron was going to be able to catch the guy, but he was determined to nonetheless. "Any word on Hermione?" everyone stopped talking and looked at Ron. This time Lucy spoke up.

"What did you say dear?" she lowered her fork while looking scared and appalled at the same time.

"I asked Harry if there was any word on Hermione." He repeated himself and quickly glanced at Lucy before taking a bite out of his chicken leg. He looked at Harry as the silence ensued. "Well?" he asked with chicken in his mouth. Harry saw Arthur in his peripheral vision turn his head to the side like a confused animal.

"Ah, no I haven't found out much about it. I have had some leads, but they have all been dead ends. I do have one hunch, but that's exactly what it is…a hunch. I have no solid proof or anything aside from instinctive feelings." Harry glanced at Ron and then looked around the table and stopped at Draco's gaze. Their eyes met in that moment and even though neither one gave anything away to the other, Harry knew that his suspicion was spot on.

"Well mate, you know your gut wasn't always wrong while we were at Hogwarts." Ron mentioned quickly before taking a sip of butterbeer breaking the slight tension held between Harry and Draco.

"Yeah, well I just don't know Ron." Harry finished as he looked over at Draco who continued to carefully eat. "So Draco, have you gone anywhere interesting lately?"

"Not really, I saw Viktor Krum in Italy." He whipped his mouth with his napkin. "I have been following certain teams around and watching them play live. I play close attention to how they react to the weather along with what makes them tic. I've learned a lot from doing this." Harry wasn't expecting to hear Draco say that he was watch other teams perform so he could beat them.

"That's actually not a bad idea Draco." This time Ginny piped into the conversation. "I myself have been thinking of doing this. I just haven't gotten around to actually doing it." Ginny placed more food into her mouth while Bill added more to the topic.

"Who do you plan on going to observe next?" Bill questioned Draco after handing some pulled apart chicken to Victorie.

"Well, the Bulgarian team will actually have their game this Sunday, so I plan to be in Italy for that game and then I will follow them to their next match seeing as how I will be playing up against them in a few weeks." He sipped his butterbeer. "I would really prefer to not lose to them for the third year in a row." The whole table laughed at his remark of losing to the Bulgarians ever since Malfoy has been playing professionally. Now Harry was thinking that he would have to reevaluate his whole theory on Malfoy tomorrow at work.

"I thought about going there myself to watch him play one good game, but I just haven't stepped away from my work long enough to do so." Harry took a bite off his plate as he watched for any clue on Draco's face.

"Well, I wouldn't go to this coming Sunday's game unless you planned on playing Quidditch against him in a few weeks. Which you won't so it won't be as 'fun'. Italy is the pits really. The people who live there are extremely rude and don't like foreigners to their country no matter the reason." Draco looked at Harry carefully. "The next best match for you to see is the one he will be at in Germany."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." Harry decided that he was definitely going to the game this Sunday to follow Draco. He thought it was time to pull out his fathers old cloak again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Mixed Emotions**

Draco proposed that they date each other the other day and it had left Hermione's head spinning. She told him to give her some time to think about it. Hermione was always particular about looking at all her options and picking out the best one. She hadn't done that when it came to leaving Ron on their wedding day and she sure as bloody hell wasn't going to make another stupid mistake like that again. But since she had given up so much; she was highly considering dating Malfoy. _What could go wrong?_

"Dr. Granger?" Lefuse knocked on her door and waited to be invited into her office.

"Yes Dr. Lefuse?"

"We need your assistance with a patient in room 394." Lefuse grimaced as he told her about the patients condition as they walked to the room. Hermione was prepared to fix the patient quickly. She never doubted her skills when it came to her work. She knew that she was very intelligent and highly thorough when it came to her job. However, she wasn't expecting to see who was sitting in the hospital bed.

"Dr. Granger, your patient's name is Viktor Krum."

"Hermy?" questioned Viktor through his severely swollen eyes. Unfortunately he had heard Lefuse use her last name. _What the bloody hell is he doing here?_

"Dr. Lefuse, please leave us be for a moment while I assess my patient." Lefuse and his team left the room swiftly. She didn't speak to Viktor until the door had finally closed shut.

"Viktor, what happened to you?" Hermione asked him as she began to treat his eyes.

"Vell, I vas valking on the streets vhen someone hit me on ze face." His swelling had gone down tremendously at this point and now all she could do for him was give him some potions to correct the rest of it. "Vhen I hit em back he jinx me face." She couldn't believe how barbaric some wizards acted about Quidditch. It was just something that she would never understand. "Hermy?"

"Yes, Viktor?"

"Vhy did you leave?" he asked her with the greatest concern. "Ve miss you."

"Viktor, I can't explain why I had to leave. I just had to." He looked at her with as much confusion as he could muster on his hurting face. She had to change the subject. "So I was able to apply the correct counter jinx to your face, but this potion will have to take care of the none magical damage from you being punched. The eyes can be a tricky thing when trying to heal them with a wand. The safest treatment is this potion." She handed him a vile filled with a purple colored potion.

"Vell I ve avle to play?" Viktor helplessly asked her as he accepted his potion.

"You should be discharged within a few hours, so yes you should be able to play in your next game."

"Vill you vatch me play? Ve vill ve in Vienna." She thought about it quickly and decided that she would like to watch him play, but after the game she would have to obliviate his memory of her from today and at the game.

"Viktor, will the Potters or Ron be there?"

"No"

"Can I sit where no one will recognize me? Its very important to me that no one recognizes me at the game. I don't want anyone back in London to know where I am or that you have seen me. Especially not Ronald."

"Only if you vill ave dinner vith me." dinner with Viktor wouldn't be too bad and it would give her an opportunity to obliviate his memories after they ate without much hassle. He wasn't much of a talker, so he probably would just stare at her as she ate like he did at Hogwarts.

"I'd love to Viktor." He smiled triumphantly. "Now you get some rest and I'll have you released in a few hours. I'll see you at the Quidditch match on Sunday." She leaned down and kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

As she walked back to her office, she felt like she was being followed by someone. She stopped in her tracks and looked around her to see who it was.

"Granger," Lestrange was walking up to her in that moment. "I thought you had already left for the day?"

"No, I had just finished with a patient and was actually headed to my office to complete a few last minute things before going home though." Flint took a drink of his hot coffee. "Was there something you needed from me Flint?"

"Oh nothing really, who was your patient?"

"Patient confidentiality is everything Flint. Didn't you learn that? I can't discuss my patients with anyone unless I needed to bring someone on board for medically purposes. Other than that, I won't tell you anything about my patients."

"Calm down Hermione, I was just asking who it was. I just saw Viktor Krum being escorted into our wing of the hospital and was hoping to treat him."

"He is being released in a few hours. You can ask for his autography then Flint." She rushed past him and into her office.

* * *

The next few days leading to Sunday's match flew by for Hermione. She hadn't heard anything more form Draco which was a relief. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do about him. Everyday was different for her when it came to the thought of being with him. One day she adored the idea and the next she was disgusted by the mere thought of being in a relationship with him. All she knew was that today she would watch Viktor on his broom and then have dinner with him after the match.

Hermione walked into the Bulgarian's changing room where Viktor said he would meet her.

"Hermy!" there he was looking as handsome as ever in his Quidditch outfit. "I vill take you to yer seat." He lead her up some stairs that ended up leading to the VIP booth.

"Oh Viktor, this is perfect! Thank you so much for working this out for me." She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "I can't wait to see you win for Bulgaria."

"Vhank you Hermy. See you after vinning." He smiled brightly at her and kissed her cheek before making the descend for the game.

"Well. Well. Well. Look what we have here ladies. You must be Viktor's girlfriend that he has been talking so highly about. Hermy?" she looked Hermione up and down. "What does Hermy stand for anyway?" Hermione wasn't sure how to really react to this unnecessary underlying hostility from this witch whom she had never meet in her entire life. So, she lied.

"Hermy is my middle name actually. Susie Hermy Bonds." Hermione smiled politely at the rude witch as she lifted one of her brows quizzically.

"Well, that is a strange name after all. And to think your name will become Susie Hermy Krum once you two marry. You might want to consider not marrying him. That name combination sounds hideous." The witch paused, as another witch surprised them both with her shrill voice piercing the room.

"Draco Malfoy! With what do we owe the pleasure?" _Bloody hell_ thought Hermione. She slowly turned around to face him staring at her. She couldn't believe that this was happening. If she had known he would be here, she would have not came to watch Viktor play and would have just whipped his memory clean at the hospital.

"Ladies I am only here to spectate. Now if you would please excuse me." He said as he walked towards Hermione and gently grabbed her by the arm. He lead them out of that room and into another VIP box that was completely empty. "What an oaf!" Draco looked furious and he released Hermione and locked the door behind him. "To expose you like that is the most stupid thing he could have ever done."

"Draco, why are you here?" he stopped checking if anyone had followed them and met her eyes.

"Why am I here? I am here because that oaf of yours was boasting to me that you were going to be here today and then going to dinner with him. Naturally I didn't think that it was true, but nonetheless, I went to your place to check. Darcy answered the door and had informed me that you had in fact gone to the Quidditch game." She didn't say anything as she watch his furry subside. "Why would you risk exposing yourself? I thought that you didn't want to be found?"

"I don't want to be found. Viktor had agreed to keeping me a secret if I had agreed to dinner with him after the match."

"Well dinner is officially cancelled." He nodded as he walked past her to take a seat and watch the start of the match.

"Dinner is over? Excuse me?!"

"Look, you owe me dinner not him and besides I erased his memory on my way up to get you. He doesn't remember a single thing about seeing you in Italy or you healing him a few days ago." He smiled at her as if she should be proud or appreciative of what he had done for her. She was actually feeling the exact opposite about the whole situation.

"You had no right to do that Malfoy!" she was bloody pissed. "Who the hell do you think you are bossing me around like I am a child. And how the bloody hell did you know that I treated him?" that part really freaked her out the most and she wanted him to answer her right then and there. Draco just stared back and watched her as she crossed her arms over her body and shifted her weight onto one foot as she waited for him to answer her.

"Well, I wasn't keeping an eye on you if that's what you were thinking." He paused briefly and then continued to explain himself. "My cousin had mentioned that a witch had been chosen for a head position in the new wing along with himself and three others. I naturally asked him who she was and then your name escaped his lips." He was now looking out the window without giving much thought to the game that was ensuing pass the glass. "Flint then told me that you were lucky enough to treat Viktor Krum. So, I made sure to run into him while I was here in Italy. Viktor saw me and decided to tell me all about how beautiful you looked and how you had saved his eyes. He definitely didn't fail to mention that you were thrilled to watch him play and have dinner with him." He slightly turned his face to look over his shoulder and at Hermione. She had thought it strange that he had just shown up out of nowhere when she thought he had went back to London, but now it all made some sense.

"Didn't go back to London then did you." She met his gaze as she half heartedly smiled at him. "I'm not happy that you did all of this without my knowledge. It's very controlling and I do not do well with controlling. If you haven't noticed, I can very well take care of myself without your help Malfoy." He had now shifted his body so that he was directly facing her with his back to the game. "I had planned to enjoy Viktors company and then obliviating his memory after dinner. I had it all figured out. Except for the fact that he boasted to you about being with me tonight. I was not expecting him to do that."

"Can you blame him though?" he smiled at her as she bashfully averted his gaze. "Hermione, have you given much more thought about dating me?"

"Honestly?" she asked him without thinking about it. Draco quickly nodded in response. "I have thought about it a lot actually. Each day I have a different feeling about it though. However," she gave a slight pause "there is one thing that I just can't seem to forget about you."

"What's that?" Draco looked confused for a few seconds and then started rattling off his speculations. "That I was an ass to you? That I verbally abused you for all of those years? That I come from a line of purebloods that would kill me for even wanting you? For having a father who was a Death Eater? For kissing you on your wedding day?" Hermione raised her hand slightly for him to stop his guessing.

"No Draco, I can look past the majority of those things. You didn't know what to do about your feelings for me especially since you knew how both sides of your family would feel about it." He looked at her with an even more furrowed brow.

"Then what?"

"You let your aunt torture me right in front of you." Silence quickly filled the room as they stared at each other. She then turned aournd, opened the door and left him alone in the room.

Draco stood there shocked.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Truth Shall Set You Free**

He heard footsteps mixed with crying echo down the corridor as he watched Krum soar through the air to catch the game winning snitch. Potter slightly turned his head so that he could see who it was to find something to his surprise. _Hermione!_ He was beyond sure of it even though her back was to him. He went to follow her when he heard another set of footsteps that were picking up pace. This time it was Malfoy running after her. Harry quickly hid behind a pillar.

"Hermione please wait!" Draco yelled as he tried to catch up to her. "Please let me explain myself!" she had stopped her brisk walking but kept her back to him even as he approached her. "Can we please have this conversation elsewhere?" He desperately looked as her as she shook her head and turned around to finally face him.

"And just where would you like to have it Draco?" she glared at him. Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak and was very thankful that he remembered to bring it with him. "We can't go back up where we just were. The game has ended I believe." Harry was ever so slowly moving closer to them; careful not to give himself away.

"Well, let's go over here where we are less likely to be bothered by anyone." Draco led her to a patch of trees where they would be nicely hidden by the vegetation. She slightly jerked her arm from his grip and turned away from him.

"Hold on." Said Hermione as she brought out her wand. "I will put up a spell, so no one can see or hear our conversation or even see us. It's very effective. I used it when we went in search of Voldemort's horcruxes." Harry remembered that all too well and made sure that he made it into their little protective bubble. "There, now we can freely talk." She finished while shifting her body to face Malfoy who looked a tad paler than usual.

"Look, I'm deeply regretful that I hadn't saved you from my Aunt's torturing." Harry noticed how sad he looked when he said this to her. "I was afraid that she would do something worse to you if I had tried to stop her at all. And there is the problem of my father. Mother wouldn't have been an issue. She has always only cared about my happiness. It's really father and other family members who carry on that Mudblood hatred." _Is this why Hermione was crying?_ Harry thought as the conversation ensued.

"Draco, what could possibly be worse than being tortured by Bellatrix?" Hermione once told Harry and Ron that expulsion from Hogwarts was worse than death. _His answer better be good_ Harry thought to himself.

"Death." _Well, I guess she doesn't have anywhere to be expelled from now_ Harry thought as he watched Malfoy grab her hands. "She would have killed you right in front of me to teach me a lesson. I could not bare to see you die, so I let her carve that _filthy_ word into your skin and lick your neck. I let her throw you around the room and slam you onto the floor." She winced at the eerie memory of Bellatrix doing those things to her. "All so you could live instead of die." Hermione remained silent and let him continue speaking as he brought the little space between them to a close. "I may be selfish, controlling, manipulative and at times a liar. But one thing that I will always do is try to protect you." _What the hell?_ Harry was confused and couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing from Malfoy. The same wizard who talked horribly about his best friend for all those years was admitting that he was wrong.

"Why would you care about if I lived or died though? Its not like you loved me…" her voice trailed off as she realized something. "You did love me didn't you?" Malfoy smiled at her and brought her hands up to his face so he could kiss them.

"Hermione, I did love you and I still do love you." _Holy shit!_ Harry's head was spinning as he witnessed Draco proclaim his love for her. He wasn't very sure what to do. Should he reveal himself and confront the situation or just remain still and see what she will do next? In this moment, Harry began to feel horrible for ease dropping on their very intimate moment. However, his thought process became silent when Hermione began to respond.

"Wow…" she paused to process. "Malfoy, if you loved me so much, why didn't you just let me marry Ronald instead of kissing me?"

"Well, there is a story behind that. Truly there is." He released her hands and walked away from her as he continued. "Snape was my favorite professor. An amazing man through and through. I never knew how influential a man could be until I had the pleasure of meeting him." He paused and turned to look at Hermione, but remained at his spot. "Did you know that he had one great love?"

"Harry mentioned it to me once, but I don't really remember it all. It's been about 10 years since I was last told." Harry's heart began to sink as he began to recall the story of Snape so willing shared with him the night he died.

"Snape loved Harry's mother Lilly. So much so that his patronus took the form of hers; which was a doe. The significance of this is that obviously, although he and Lilly never married or had children, he loved her deeply. She went off to marry James while Snape lived a lonely life as other people's pawn. Before he died, he gave me a piece of advice that I have yet to forget." Harry and Hermione both were listening intently. "He knew I loved you and he told me not to make the same mistakes that he made. He let Potter sweep her off her feet. He didn't fight for her at all. Instead he chose the path of the dark side and suffered greatly because of it." Draco paused and was now looking at the mass of people who were walking by completely unaware of their conversation taking place. "Hermione, I had hesitated for so long to let you know my feelings for you that before I knew it you were getting married and I was one of your groomsmen."

"So you decided to have the balls to let me know on the day that I was suppose to marry my best friend." Harry could tell that she was becoming mad about the situation. He couldn't blame her for that, but at the same time he surprisingly felt sorry for Draco. "Technically you didn't even tell me your feelings! Instead you came waltzing into my dressing room while I was alone…placed my face in-between your hands and kissed me…so…passionately…" Hermione was breathing deeply as she glared at him.

Malfoy quickly closed the gap between them, grabbed her into his arms and kissed her. Hermione placed her hands on the back of his neck and started to play with the ends of his hair. Once they released their lips, Draco pressed his forehead against hers and she wiggled her nose against his.

"Hermione Granger, I have always loved you." He said as he began to play with her hair. Hermione sighed and let go of him and that moment.

"This will not be easy for you Draco. I know you love me, but I myself am not there yet. You have to remember that I grew up at Hogwarts hating you." He wore a face of utter defeat at her words, but remained silent. "Prove to me that the horrid boy I knew is no longer there. Show me that you love me and that you would do anything to keep me from being in a similar situation as I was ten years ago." She absentmindedly rubbed her forearm at the thought. "And then, we will see what happens."

"So, are we not dating then?" Harry and Draco were both confused by what she said. Neither one of them were sure if she wanted to be in a relationship or if she wanted some kind of validation before making that kind of commitment to him.

"Honestly, is that all you got out of what I just said?" Hermione was exasperated at the thought of having to repeat herself again. Harry was quite sure that she probably wouldn't repeat herself if she had to.

"No, I understand what you are wanting from me and I will do all of those things if that means that you will finally be my girlfriend. However, I would prefer for you to be my girlfriend as I prove everything to you." He kissed her hand ever so lightly. "It could be more…fun." After raising his eyebrows at the word fun, Draco began to trace her arm with his lips and lingered over her somewhat faded scar. "I haven't been able to forgive myself for that night." He looked up at her with tears forming. "I can't forgive myself. Not until you forgive me Hermione. And I will do what ever I can for you to. I do not want to lose you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Secrets Don't Make Friends**

Ginny had been visiting the Burrow a lot while Harry was away on business in Italy. She didn't ask him too many questions about his work taking him elsewhere from London. Harry had an important job as Auror and she was immensely proud of him and everything that he and Ron had done thus far for the Ministry of Magic. Tonight, however, the Weasley's were hosting another one of their dinners.

Molly was busy slaving away in her kitchen, but lets face it, we all know she was really just making sure her magic was working properly and not actually cooking. Percy was in deep conversation with Arthur at the kitchen table as they patiently waited for food to be ready. As for George, Angelina, Bill, Fleur, Ron, Lucy and Ginny they were all gathered in the living room.

"So Bill, anything exciting happening in the werewolf community?" George was extremely fascinated with the werewolves and how the moon controlled his brothers moods every month. It was really a fascinating subject that Bill, thankfully, didn't have to always endure in real life.

"George," he sighed "you know that I don't turn every month thanks to the potions that Fleur makes for me." He smiled gratefully at his wife who beamed back at him. Those two were still as in love as they were when they met over seven years ago. And their daughter was a beautiful reflection of their love. "Not only that, but werewolves are not as social as you may think. We tend to stay away from each other unlike Muggles, Wizards and other communities."

"Well, there's absolutely no fun in that at all Billy!" George looked bored now with their conversation and moved on to Ginny. "Ginny! My favorite sister!"

"I'm your only sister George." Ginny corrected him as she giggled. Even though he addressed her that way a lot, it would always make her laugh. It was either that or cry since its what Fred used to say to her all the time to make her feel better about being the only girl.

"Well that's not entirely true sis. When your brothers marry, that adds one girl to our bunch. So technically, you are one out of three sisters now. Well…no, its one out of two because I'm married to one of the three so that would be very strange." He grimaced at Ginny as Teddy and Victorie ran by them.

"Teddy," Ginny called "please be careful as you guys play or I'll make you help Uncle George clear the gnomes out of the garden." Ted froze from his running and Victorie ran right into him knocking herself on her butt. As she started to cry, Teddy remained still looking at his godmother. Fleur quickly stood to aid Victorie.

"Victore, iz ok sveet child." She cooed at her little girl while bouncing her on one hip. Victorie screamed for a little bit longer and then quieted down as she placed her head on her mothers chest. "There there my daughter." Fleur placed Victorie on the other side of her body as she retrieved her wand. "Accio cradle" Victories cradle appeared right in front of them and she was softly placed there to calm down further with her teddy bear and to hopefully nap for a few hours.

"Ginny," Ron captured everyone's attention from the child who was now starting to fall asleep. Ginny looked at him as she placed Teddy into her lap. "where is Harry at? Is he working late at the Ministry tonight?" he didn't look at her as he was asking her these questions. Instead he was turning his wand around in his hands.

"He's away on business. I am not sure if he will be back in time for supper. I know that he told me he might be back, but he wasn't certain." Ginny looked at Ron as she replied to him and watched him smirk as she spoke. She wasn't too sure what that all was about exactly, but she let it slide as their mother called them all in for the meal.

"So where is Harry at this evening?" Molly addressed the table as she was scooping up a helping of mashed potatoes.

"According to Ginny, he is off on business mother." Ron answered her sarcastically as he glared at Ginny from across the table.

"What the bloody hell is your problem Ronald?" Ginny was furious with Ron. He was being completely insufferable towards her and she had no clue as to why.

"I'll tell you my problem." Ron placed his cup down on the table as Lucy placed her hand on his arm.

"Ron, maybe right now isn't the time for this conversation." She pleaded with him not to continue, but of course he didn't listen to her.

"Oh shut up Lucy!" he looked at her with pure disgust as he jerked his arm away from her.

"RONALD!" both Molly and Arthur scolded him for treating Lucy in that manner. Neither of them raised their son to act this monstrous towards anyone let alone a woman who adored him.

"Come on Ron let's hear it then." Ginny egged him on as she leaned forward more. "What the bloody hell is wrong now?" Ron squinted his eyes at her as stood up from his seat.

"I know and you know that he went out looking for Hermione, but he had failed to mentioned it to me and now all of you are keeping it from me and that's all this dinner is! Its to keep Ron in the dark about her! Can't let Ron know can we?!" he was wailing his arms around as he madly went on about intel being kept from him on purpose.

"Ron you're being irrational mate." George looked at his brother in hopes of calming him down. He actually didn't want to stir the hornets nest with Ron surprisingly. Instead for once he was trying to be helpful in this situation.

"Irrational am I? Well isn't that something." Ron pushed his chair out of the way as he walked towards George. "No _mate_ irrational is when you up and leave your wedding without even a goodbye. Irrational is when you disappear from everyone who has ever cared about you. Irrational is when you don't tell your best friend what is going on with the woman that he loves." Molly gasped as she and Ginny immediately looked at Lucy to see what she would do in response to his statements about Hermione and that he still loved her.

"Ronald, I will not sit here and listen to you whine about your EX-fiancé during dinner. She is your _EX_ who left your ass at the alter and clearly doesn't care about you. So who cares where Harry is or who Harry is looking for?" This time Lucy was standing out of her chair and facing Ron head on. "I for one don't give a rats ass about her or her whereabouts. And if you don't leave it alone then I am leaving here and you might as well shack up in your old bedroom, because all your stuff won't be at my apartment when I get home."

"BUT I CARE!" he was yelling at Lucy now his face turning red with furry. "I care about anything that has to do with her! I'm suppose to be the one to comfort and protect her at all times. She didn't even come to me to tell me what was going on before she left me standing up their looking like a dumbass." Tears started to form in his eyes at the thought of that day. "I'm her protector. I am."

"Yet you cheated on her with me." Lucy said as calm as can be. She shook her head as Molly stood up. Molly stared at Ron with an expression of confusion and furry before excusing herself from the table.

"Ron, is that true?" Bill asked in shock as his mother exited the room.

"Go on Ron. Why don't you tell them how you fucked me in your apartment while she was at work." Lucy was egging him on now. Getting in his face as he was trying to avoid eye contact with her and silently crying. "Tell them how you screamed my name that day and not precious Hermione's"

"That's quite enough Lucy." Arthur cut her off from speaking. She kept her face steady as her eyes moved from Ron to Arthur. "Leave my house right now, you are no longer welcomed at the Burrow." Lucy gave Arthur a look of pure disgust as she slapped Ron's ass one last time before she apparated out of the kitchen. Angelina and Fleur left the table to check on Molly who was heard smashing items out of rage.

"How could you do that to Hermione?" Ginny looked aghast as she sat back down in her chair. "Is that why she left the wedding? Because she found out about you cheating on her? Is that it Ron?" he couldn't even look at her as he remained fixated on the chair Lucy was just sitting in not that long ago.

"Ronald," this time Arthur spoke up. "whatever you did to lose Hermione's trust is between you two. You don't need to tell us, but you can if it will help you relinquish your guilt. But if you can't seem to do that, then you should probably leave before your mother comes in here to strangle you."

Ron turned to look at his father as they all heard Molly smash something else in the house. Then he looked at Ginny. "I started seeing Lucy a few weeks before the wedding. I met her at a bar one night as I was looking to let go of some wedding related stress. Hermione was being overly controlling with everything for the wedding. She just wanted it to go perfectly." He took a sip of his butterbeer before continuing. "she was stressing me out though and Lucy could tell I was feeling stressed. She came over to me and started talking to me as if she was nothing but an old friend catching up." Everyone was listening intently to what he was saying and ignoring the noises that Molly was creating from the other room. "We continued to meet for several more days, until one night she and I drank until we were sluggish and decided on getting a room for the night. That was the first night we actually…you know. And things escalated from there. She understood me in ways that Hermione didn't and Hermione understood me where Lucy didn't."

"What did you plan on keeping them both?" George looked disgusted at Ron while he asked him this. Bill, Ginny and Arthur all held faces of pure disgust at the thought of their own blood thinking about doing that.

"Well no I didn't plan on doing that!" he raised his voice in retaliation . "I was just going to keep up with it until after the wedding when Hermione would calm down from the wedding jitters. But that never happened. Instead she left me standing at the alter."

"But you deserved it." Ginny glared at him. She couldn't believe that he would do such a thing to Hermione. Especially after all that the both of them had been through together. "Why did you keep up the relationship with Lucy? Now it all makes sense why you've always acted like you hate her so much. All she did was remind you of how much of an unfaithful git you are."

"Yeah, you're right that is all she reminded me of every day I was with her. Even sex with her just became another motion of the day. But I didn't want to be alone." He looked so pathetic as he tried to explain himself, but no one was easing up on their look of disgust with him. "She was a mistake guys. One that I would gladly erase from my past if I could do so." He looked at each one of them as he said this, but he landed on Ginny for some odd reason.

"Ginny, I need your help." He looked at her with pleading eyes that were searching for a sign of sympathy from her. "I need you to help me get Hermione back. I can't function very well without her." Ginny abruptly stood from her chair and started to make her way around the table, but she stopped at George's chair.

"It will be a cold day in Hell before I help you with anything that has to do with Hermione."

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" everyone was taken by surprise as Draco stood in the kitchen confused as can be. "Is there any news on Hermione then?" at this question he started to look hopeful as his eyes moved from Ron to Ginny. "Ron, everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Ron straightened up and looked at Draco. "Do ya mind coming with me to the Ministry of Magic? I need some help identifying some dark arts artifacts if you don't mind." Ron left the table and started making his way towards Draco.

"Yeah I don't mind helping you out with that." Draco answered him as he raised an eyebrow at Ginny who just shook her head at him in response as Ron's back was to her.

"Alright, we best be off."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Decisions**

Hermione woke up to her phone blaring "OH, OH, OH Its Magic ya know.." beside her bed. She stretched and yawned as her hair fell on her face before reaching for her phone. She missed a call from Draco. "Well, if he doesn't call me back right now I'll just call him later today/em. She patiently waited for five more minutes as her phone remained silent. Instead of a call, it beeped annoyingly with a message from him.

 **Draco Malfoy 6:45 am**  
 **Good morning beautiful. I hope that you slept well last night after I left. As for me, well last night was very interesting. Please call me later on today if you're too caught up in something right now. If I don't hear from you…you'll make me have to come and see you. Don't test me Granger. I'll be there before you can say muggle.**

Hermione smiled as she shook her head at the message she just read. It was still a serial feeling to be dating Draco, but if she was honest with herself, she had been wanting to for a few months now. Ever since he kissed her in the lilac colored room twenty minutes before she was suppose to be kissing Ron. Se laid back down on the bed at the thought of that kiss. When he kissed her that day it was full of passion and fear. She could only imagine that he was nervous for her reaction. It was a scary experience for her considering what was suppose to happen that day. It was easily one of the hardest decisions of her life.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! Her alarm was now going off and it forced her to get out of bed. As she rose from the mattress, the sheets and comforter fell in a bunch beside her. "Bloody hell." She picked them up and placed them on her bed. "I'll fix that after work today."

Hermione was entering the hospital, she had a nauseous feeling about today. For whatever reason, her body was alerting that today would be a difficult day for her. Either way, she had to go into work regardless of the warnings she was receiving.

* * *

"Hey Granger!" she looked up to find that Flint was holding the door open for her. He had one breakfast bagel in one hand, a orange juice held between his arm and torso and the door was being held with his free hand.

"Thank you for holding the door open for me." She smiled at him as he closed the door behind her.

"Well, who said chivalry is dead?" he said laughing at his own joke. "Ready to start the day off right?" he cocked his head to her and smiled.

"What, with a breakfast bagel and orange juice?" she really didn't know what he was talking about, but she did hope he meant with the patients. He gave her a joking look.

"By taking a stroll to your office with me of course!" _Of course_ thought Hermione. _Why didn't I think he was full of himself just like Draco. No surprise there._

"Well, alright then. Was there something you needed to talk to me in my office about?"

"Yes there actually is and I didn't want to ask you out in the open for prying ears to pick up. But if you don't mind, I'm going to finish my breakfast on the way." This was interesting. She wasn't quite sure what he would need to say to her that couldn't be said out in the open.

Hermione wasn't really sure what to think of Flint really. He was Bellatrix's son, Draco's cousin and her coworker at the hospital. He grew up with two death eater parents, yet he was being much nicer to Hermione than Draco had ever been to her through out their years at Hogwarts. He was gorgeous though. The kind of looks that tell you he probably would break your heart. He was tall and slim like Draco, but instead of Draco's white blonde hair he had a rich black coloring. And unlike Draco, his hair had a slight curl to it. Not to mention his eyes were a luscious green that appeared to be more dramatic thanks to his dark hair. He even had a trusting demeanor about him. They reached her office in a matter of minutes and he of course, held the door open for her once more.

"After you Granger." He directed her with his arm into her office space. She placed her coat on the rack along with her purse, pulled out her wand and donned her white coat before addressing Flint who was now staring at her as she sat down.

"What is it that you needed to tell me in my office Dr. Lestrange?" he blinked a few times at her, closed the door behind him and took a deep breath.

"Well, there is a benefit ball that is coming up in a few months and I was wanting to know if you would like to be my date that night?" he paused for a brief moment as if to collect his thoughts. "See, I thought it would be a splendid idea, because we are both single I presume and I would love to go with someone whose my equal intellectually or even greater. The point is that I don't want to go with someone who would be a drag conversation wise. Looks don't mean everything, even though you are beautiful, looks can only take a date so far before they become boring." She just quietly watched as he paced her room back and forth as he was trying to explain himself to her. She really just felt like she was headmistress and that Flint had just tried to explain why he pranked some poor kid in his potions class. He stopped pacing and stood right in front of her waiting for a response of any kind.

"Flint, since when are we having a benefit ball?" she was truly confused. Last she knew this ball wasn't in the works for their wing.

"Well, while you were gone the hospital gave us the option to include our wing. We had a vote that was in favor for it." He carefully watched her as he said his last sentence. She wasn't very happy that they had a vote without her about the benefit, although she probably would have voted favorably.

"Well, I don't appreciate there being a vote without me present. Someone could have at least called me."

"Actually, not all in the wizarding world are as up-to-date as you and Draco." Her heart skipped a beat at the mentioning of him. She had to play this off right as to not raise suspicion of their being together romantically.

"Draco? You know Draco Malfoy?" she asked as Flint looked up at her and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

"Of course I do. He's my cousin on my Mom's side. How do you know him? You guys went to Hogwarts together didn't you?"

"Yeah we did. I didn't take him for the muggle technology kind of guy. I on the other hand, grew up with muggle parents. A cell phone isn't a strange device to me as it would be to Draco since it's a muggle device. Where did you say you went to school?"

"I went to Drumstrang. My parents didn't want me to go to Hogwarts for numerous reasons. I'm lucky I was even sent off to school. They really just wanted to teach me the dark arts on their own and leave it at that. If it wasn't for my Aunt and Uncle, I probably wouldn't be sitting here today." He looked sad as he spoke to her. As if he didn't like how his early life had occurred. She didn't want to sit there and assume things though, so she quickly stopped over analyzing him.

"Back to my question, would you be my date?" his emerald eyes met hers as he smiled along with his question. She really didn't want to raise any suspicion of her and Draco being together and that also meant that they couldn't go to the benefit as a date. So the big question was weather or not she should accept his offer. Hermione just needed time to talk to Draco about it before giving Flint a final answer.

"I'll think about it for a few nights and let you know no later than the end of this week." She awkwardly smiled back at him as he said ok and left her office. Now she just had to talk to Draco. Hopefully he would take it well.

The rest of Hermione's day was much of a blur. She saw and treated patients all day, but she couldn't stop thinking about who to talk to Draco about going with Flint to the benefit. What do you say to your boyfriend about going on a fictitious date with another man all because you want to keep your actual relationship in the dark? She had no clue how to break that to him.

It was midnight before she made it home. Luckily Hermione was scheduled to be on call the next day rather than having to go into work, so she could sleep in a bit more after her long work shift. She could do well with nine to ten hours of rest. But before she could lay her head on a pillow, she had to talk to Draco.

She unlocked the door and groggily walked into the house. After placing her keys, coat and purse in their proper places; Hermione made her way up to her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and picked up her phone to check if she had any missed calls or texts from him.

 **Draco Malfoy noon**  
 **Hermione, I hope that work so far has been splendid.** _He had no idea._ She thought to herself as she continued to read his message. **Don't forget to get a hold of me at some point in your day.**

 **Draco Malfoy 7:30 pm**  
 **Well, I don't think that I actually know what your schedule is suppose to be today. But surely you take a lunch at some point?**

 **Draco Malfoy 12:05 am** **It sure is a good thing you're beautiful when you're tired.**

"It really would be a shame if you weren't." Hermione was startled by the voice that projected from behind her. "I told you that I would be visiting if I hadn't heard anything from you." He flashed her his boyish grin in the most sexiest way imaginable.

"Draco, you scared me. I was fully prepared to curse you." She tried to stay more serious especially since she really hated being startled like that. Malfoy wrapped his arm around her torso, pulled her in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Sorry love. I didn't mean to cause you to want to curse me again. This isn't suppose to be like old times." He winked at her as he joked about the past. Hermione hopped that he would remain in this playful mood as she broke the news to him about the benefit ball. "So, would you like for me to tell you what happened the other night first or would you like to tell me about your long day at work first? Lady gets to decide." He lightly touched the tip of her nose with his as he waited for her choice.

"Well, how about I let you tell me about the other night first and then I will tell you about my day. This way I won't fall asleep on you since I'm so tired." She smiled faintly at him as he nodded at her logical choice.

"Good idea. I arrived at the Burrow apparently after an argument of some sort. The thing is, I don't think they knew I was on the property and was listening in a bit outside the house before going inside." He was looking down at their hands and fiddling with their intertwined fingers. "Anyway, I heard some disturbing things about Ron. Next thing I knew, Lucy apparated out of the kitchen after Arthur banished her from the Burrow."

"Why? What happened?" as much as she really didn't care, Hermione was actually curious as to what someone would have to do to become banished from the Burrow and by Arthur. He was always the kindest man she knew.

"Hermione, I don't want to upset you. Did you know about the things that Ron was doing before you two married?" Hermione furrowed her brow and looked at him with a very confused and tired expression. She pulled some of her escaping hair behind her ear as he carefully continued. "Well, it turns out that Ron was actually shagging her for a few weeks before your wedding." Hermione's head was spinning. This was definitely news to her and she had no idea that had even occurred.

"Seriously?" she looked at Draco in disbelief as he slowly nodded in response. "I knew he was acting strange before the wedding, but I honestly would have never guessed this at all from him. I really just thought that he was acting odd due to wedding jitters not infidelity." She stood up and walked over to her window. She opened it to the night air as it was cooling her hot face from embarrassment. "I trusted him…" Malfoy rose from the bed and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her as she began to softly cry. "The messed up part of this whole thing is that I was so ashamed for loving you that I left in a tizzy and here Ron was shagging some bitch he barely knew. Yet he still had the audacity to marry me!"

She turned around and looked at Draco. He wasn't sure how to react to her in this moment. She was upset, but extremely calm for just finding out that her ex-fiancé and long time love had sex with another woman right before attempting to marry her. And in the same breath she had just admitted her love to Draco. He could see the sadness, confusion and determination in her eyes. She was not going to let this mark her negatively. Draco knew that Ron never meant for Hermione to find out and here she was armed with that knowledge.

"Draco," Hermione broke the silence and thoughts running through his head.

"Yes?" he asked her as he softly placed stands of her hair back behind her ear. He loved her hair. Always had.

"I appreciate you telling me this, but Ron is of the past. It hurts very much that he did that to me and I'll properly cry about that, but I have properly mourned the end of that relationship. I am done worrying about Ron and what he did or didn't do during out time together. I am here standing before you wanting to look forward." She stared deeply into his piercing eyes before placing her lips on his.

Draco moved his hands up to cup her face as their kissing increased and their desire for each other matched the speed. She placed her hands under his shirt and felt his 6-pack as she found her way to his chest. He un-did her bra with ease and with one hand as his other remained at her face. They slowly made it to her bed where her sheets were still bunched at the end. Draco paused for a breath.

"Hermione, are you sure that this is what you want to do right now? I love you and I don't want you to make this decision based on being hurt by what I told you. But if you truly want to do this then we will." He had the most sincere expression on his face. He really did love her and he really did not want her to do this out of spite for Ron.

"I'm doing this with you right here and right now. Not because I think it will hurt Ron. Its because I love you too Draco." Hermione had already decided who she was going to love in this moment and who was going to the ball with her and his name was not Ronald Weasley or Flint Lestrange.


	10. Chapter 10

**I must thank you all for reading my story. I am really enjoying the experience of writing a new ending/beginning for our characters that many of us love.**

 **It is with great pleasure that I release this chapter to you all :)**

 **I apologize for my grammar and spelling mistakes (Not my strong suit. I am working on it though!)**

 **Please feel free to leave comments in the review section!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: To Tell or Not to Tell**

"Harry!"

 _Shit_. Harry thought as he heard Ron yelling his name. He quickly stowed away his notebook as Ron entered his office.

"Blimey Harry." Ron paused as he surveyed the extremely cluttered room. Harry had stacks of books and papers all over the place. It looked like an episode of Hoarders.

"Whatcha want Ron?" Harry had been trying to avoid Ron ever since he made it back from Italy. He knew about Hermione and Draco getting together and he didn't want to tell Ron. It wasn't his place to go around sharing their secret love affair. He had not told Ginny either.

"Bloody hell mate. Are you trying to get rid of me? I'm not what you need to get rid of here." He raised his eyebrow as he gestured to his mess of an office. This made Harry chuckle as he raised his wand and with a flick of the wrist everything was in its proper place.

"Better?" He raised his own eyebrow at Ron.

"Much better. Now I know where I can sit my arse." They both laughed at this as he swiftly sat down in front of Harry's desk. "Back to business then, have you heard anything on Hermione yet?"

"Ron, you cheated on her." He looked defeated as Harry continued. "Do you really think that I am going to tell you if I had anything?"

"Blimey Harry, I am your best friend. You know as well as I do that I love that woman. I need to know she's doing alright at least." He paused as he looked desperately at Harry for some sympathy.

"You did this to yourself and I don't feel bad for you. It was inexcusable what you did to her. Did she leave because she found out about Lucy?" Harry wasn't sure if she left thanks to Ron's infidelity or solely on Draco's last minute attempt on her wedding day.

"Well thanks mate, I'll keep that in mind next time you're a git to Ginny."

"Oh please do Ron. Then she will stop being mad at me at take it all out on you for hurting Hermione like you did." They sat there staring at each other in silence for the next few minutes. Harry didn't understand his best friend anymore. He was acting so strange lately. No one knew what really posed him to think that it would be ok to cheat on Hermione and then turn around and marry her. His parents did not raise him to act in that manner and they themselves were very distraught about the whole thing.

"Look I don't know if she knew about Lucy." Ron sighed as he filled the room with his calm voice. "But that's the only thing that would make sense to me as to why she left and hasn't contacted any of us since then." Harry and Ron both kept a cell phone in their pockets just in case Hermione ever called. They knew that she left her own phone in her and Ron's apartment, but they also knew that she had their numbers memorized. Ron always kept the volume on high and carried around a charger, so he would not miss her call. They all used to think it was kind of romantic, but after learning about Ron and Lucy they all now were thinking that he was kind of mental.

"But I don't now why she wouldn't have contacted myself or Ginny." Ron thought about what Harry had said and ended up giving him a confused look about it. "Look, Ginny had nothing to do with you cheating on Hermione. She would not ever have any part of that knowing it would hurt her. Hermione knows this. She also knows that I love and protect her as a sister. So I would hope that she is also aware that I would not condone that kind of behavior. I wouldn't condone it no matter who you did that to. It's just wrong." Harry finished as he watched Ron's expression change from confused to distraught. He even had a paleness that reminded Harry of when they went into the forbidden forest while following the spiders.

"I really screwed up didn't I?" Ron asked as he shook his head in shame.

"Yeah you really did. Hermione is an amazing person. You really don't deserve her. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"Yeah I know it is. And I want the truth from you guys. Apparently, the only people I am getting any form of communication from is you and dad. And I only think that's cause we all work here at the Ministry." He gave Harry a half-hearted smile. He just looked utterly defeated.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Harry smiled as he and Ron chuckled a bit. "I'm sure she's fine though where ever she is." _Probably being comforted by Draco if he's told her by now._ Thought Harry as Ron nodded and walked out of his office.

* * *

That night Harry had made a splendid dinner for his and Ginny's anniversary. While living with the Dursley's, Harry had always cooked the meals or helped his aunt prepare the food. So on special occasions he would make everything for Ginny without a single ounce of magical help. And tonight was no exception.

Ginny opened the front door to the rich smells of a meat and vegetable lasagna. It was her favorite muggle dish that Harry had ever made her.

"Heya Harry!" she exclaimed as she happily walked into the kitchen to see Harry wearing a _Kiss the Chief_ apron that Hermione had bought him. "It smells delicious in here." She kissed him quickly on the cheek as she smiled brightly at him.

"Good, because I did add vegetables to this dish. Just he way you like it." He smiled warmly back at her as he prepared to remove the dish from the oven. "Go and take a quick shower and join me in the dinning room love." She quickly nodded as she made her way out of the kitchen. "Oh and Ginny," she turned around to look at him "would you like wine?"

"No thank you!" she took off for the shower for her stomach was already rumbling thanks to the delicious aroma that filled the house.

Harry thought that was a bit odd, but nonetheless he would just give her a glass of water while he would drink a beer with their dinner. It kind of ruined his idea of a toast though. He had decided that he wanted to tell Ginny that he had solid evidence of where Hermione was located, but he didn't want to give her any details about Draco. He would rather act like he had no idea about their relationship. Instead he was going to put a little spin on things.

He had placed the last fork on the table when Ginny came into the room. She smelt of cherry blossom and looked stunning in her dress that she decided to wear for dinner. Harry couldn't help but smile at her as he pulled out her chair for her to sit down so he could scoot her in.

"Thank you love." Ginny said as Harry walked to his seat to sit down.

"No thank you for putting up with me and my crazy antics." They both laughed at this as they picked up their utensils to eat. "By the way, I have some good news." Ginny began to savor the first bite of lasagna as she looked at Harry to continue with his news. "I believe that I know exactly where Hermione is." Ginny's eye grew wide at this statement as she swallowed her food.

"Harry! That reminds me!." She took a sip of her water before continuing. "Hermione called me today."

"She did what?!"

"Yeah she called me and we talked for a good three hours." Ginny took another bite of her lasagna. Harry couldn't wait much longer. The anticipation had him at the edge of his seat.

"Well?"

"Sorry, this is just SO good! Anyway," she took another sip of water. "We talked about loads of stuff. She has been living in Italy the whole time she's been gone. She has a roommate from Australia that she thinks I would adore. Hermione is now a doctor at a hospital and runs a whole wing with a few other doctors." Ginny paused to take another bite. She was just so hungry and had been craving lasagna for a while now.

"Well, it sounds like she has been doing well enough. Does she plan to come back to England?" he asked as he poked at the food on his plate deep in thought.

"She didn't say, but honestly if I was her I wouldn't want to come back. She has a superb job right now and I wouldn't be surprised if she stayed in Italy." Another bite was placed into her mouth as Harry digested what she just explained to him. He couldn't imagine her staying in Italy while dating Draco. He would think that Draco would bring her back to England to live with him. Maybe he was wrong about that though. Maybe she will take things much slower with Draco all things considering.

"Harry," he looked up at her as she interrupted his thoughts. "She didn't know that Ron had cheated on her." Ginny looked cautiously at him as she delivered that shred of news.

"Really? How did she even find out about that then?"

"Well, apparently Draco told her about it." Ginny raised her eyebrows at this as she shoveled up another bit of lasagna to her mouth.

"Hmm. That's very interesting. She tell you how Draco came in contact with her?"

"Yes," Ginny finished her water and stood up to get more "she ran into him while she was getting lunch with his cousin whom she works with." Ginny's voiced trailed in from the kitchen as she turned on the faucet to obtain water.

"Which cousin?" Harry was very curious to hear who exactly Hermione was getting lunch with that was related to Draco. It just didn't make much sense to him really.

"Flint Lestrange." Harry's mouth fell open after he heard Flint's last name. "I know. I know. I find it very strange as well." She looked at him with the sadist expression.

"His mother killed Sirius and tried to take you from me as well." Harry could feel his blood boil at the thought of those past events. Life would have turned out to be very different if it wasn't for Bellatrix.

"Not to mention she also carved Mudblood into Hermione's arm. But they both work together. She really is a great doctor and loves her job I suppose."

"She should come back. I don't like this at all. I feel like something bad is going to happen to her and none of us are there to help her out of it."

"She will be alright love. We can't always worry about her. At least she finally called one of us and we know that she is alive and well." Ginny half-heartedly smiled at him as she returned her attention to her delicious meal.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you everyone for reading Love Always. **

**Please drop your comments for the chapters and let me know what you think of the story so far! Your input is GREATLY APPRECIATED! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Let's Dance the Night Away**

The hospital ball was a few hours away and Hermione was ready to dance the night away with Draco. She was finally ready to show the world that they were in fact together. Flint however, was not very pleased that she had turned him down. He acted alright about things until a few days ago when he decided to be a complete ass to her for no reason at all.

Flint would slam the door in her face instead of his usual holding of it. He would act like he couldn't stand to be in the same room with her no matter where they were at. He barely made any eye contact with her whenever he would mutter any words to her or when she would tell him of a diagnosis. It was becoming a bit too unbearable for her. She wouldn't tell Draco though, no she didn't want to start any sort of problems between cousins considering that those two actually got along. No, she figured that she could handle his behavior until after the ball. Hermione was assuming that Flint would go back to normal once he realized that she was now dating Draco.

"Hello darling." Draco greeted her as he entered her office at the hospital.

"Draco," Hermione smiled at him as she watched him walk across her office and deliver a kiss on her lips. "I wasn't expecting to see you for a few more hours." She gave him a confused, but grateful look as he walked to take a seat in front of her desk.

"Well, I went back to your apartment and Darcy told me that you were still at work even though you were off today. Is something bothering you?" he looked so concerned for her that it was heartbreaking. She wasn't quite sure what she had done to deserve this from him. He really was a blessing in disguise for her.

"Honestly," she began as he intently listened. "I'm just nervous for tonight is all. I have my dress and I know you have your suit, so I'm not nervous about being unprepared. I am just nervous about exposing my private life to everyone here is all."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. How do you think my family is going to take it that I'm not with a Pureblood." Draco chuckled darkly at this. "But tonight is not about any of them. Tonight is about raising money for the hospitals and having an enjoyable time with coworkers and loved ones. You will look gorgeous and I will look dashing next to you." He gave her his signature smile as she blushed at his words. She loved that smile of his. It could change her mood in a heartbeat and she was pretty sure that he knew that. "Come on beautiful." Draco rose from the chair and offered his hand to her. "Let's go get ready for this ball shall we?"

"Alright, let's go then." She took his hand and they both walked out of the hospital together fingers entwined.

* * *

They arrived at the venue around seven o'clock and the night air was crisp as they stepped out of their limousine. Draco was wanting to take one of those vehicles as a surprise for Hermione since neither one had ever used one and he knew that she would enjoy the experience with him. She enjoyed it so much that the driver had to drive an extra block while they had sex.

Draco stepped out of the limo first and offered his hand to Hermione as she herself stepped out of the limo as well. She looked stunning in a royal blue floor length dress that sparkled in ever direction. The dress had a sexy slip that began mid thigh and trailed to the bottom to expose her shoe. Not only that, but she had a plunging back as well. She was a true masterpiece in Draco's opinion. He couldn't stop staring at her with admiration and a hint of lust for her. He didn't look bad either with his jet black 3 piece suit. He was definitely confident in his attire. They both looked stunning as they walked into the building to join the party.

"Wow." Hermione breathed as she looked around the extravagant room. "They sure do know how to throw a party don't they?" she asked Draco as she continued to gaze at the room.

"That they do." He agreed. The celling was very high and was enchanted to contain pale pink clouds that moved slowly around the room. Among the clouds were what looked to appear as children with wings. As for the walls and colors, there was gold everywhere. In the middle of the room, there was a rather large golden statue that represented the hospitals founders and at their feet were the festivities food and drink.

"Hey look there's Flint." Draco waved at his cousin as Hermione turned around to see Flint's expression change quite rapidly. He went from smiling as he waved to Draco to horrified as he met her eye contact and back then to a rather neutral expression as he approached them.

"Hi Draco and Hermione. I didn't know that you two knew each other." He sounded rather surprised at them being there together and even hurt maybe.

"Well she is my girlfriend Flint. We started dating a few months long ago and we both wanted to keep it quite for a bit before making it public." Draco squeezed her hand as he explained this to Flint.

"Ah," he said slowly as he looked at Hermione. "Where you two dating when I asked you out to the ball?" _Shit, of course you would ask this and in front of Draco too…_

"Why does that matter? She's with me now and I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon." Draco didn't seem to like what Flint was getting at. Either way, Flint ignored him as he continued to make eye contact with Hermione. Apparently he wasn't going to let this go.

"Actually, we had just started dating when you had asked me." Draco looked at Hermione and gave her a weak smile.

"See, we were already together when you asked her out. So there should be no hard feelings." He sounded so confident in his revelation.

"No," started Flint as he shifted his sight to Draco. "She told me that she would think about it. She didn't say no or that she had a boyfriend. She only said that she would think about it."

"I wasn't sure if I would be ready to make our relationship public yet or not. I wanted to keep my options open." Hermione explained to Draco. She then turned to Flint. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you no right away. Mine and Draco's past is complicated and I wasn't sure if I was ready to let everyone into my private life like this. But now I am confident in letting the world know that he and I are together." She finished as she carefully watched his expression.

"I'm not the one you have to worry about love." Flint said as he grinned from ear to ear.

"What the hell are you getting at?" Draco demanded of him right away, but all Flint did was begin to laugh as he pointed behind them.

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Hermione and Draco looked at each other as they both recognized who that voice belonged to. They slowly turned around and met the furious gaze of Ronald Weasley.

* * *

"Ronald…" Hermione's voice trailed off as she spoke his name. It had been well over eight months since the last time that they had been face to face with each other. She couldn't believe that he was there right now in front of her staring so intently at her. For a moment she felt so self conscious that she almost let go of Draco's hand. But then she reminded herself of how horrible Ron was to her before she left and found her grip to only tighten on Draco.

"Weasley." Draco said as Ron continued to look at Hermione. "Why are you here? You have nothing to do with this establishment." Ron focused his attention on Draco now. His gaze went from their hand holding and followed up to Draco's eyes.

"Actually, I contacted Flint for a ticket into this circus of a benefit." Ron quickly glanced around the room with a look of disgust worn on his face.

"Why? How did you even know Flint was here?"

"I bugged Ginny and Harry's home." he responded nonchalantly and his eyes darted to Hermione's expression of pure disgust.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Hermione was furious that he had done such a thing to Harry and Ginny. No wonder he knew where she was. He was seriously starting to sound like a basket case to her.

"Yeah, I bugged their home. I figured that they were hiding you from me and I was right. Lucky for me that the day I go and bug them is the day that I find out that you have contacted Ginny." Hermione was trying to figure out how Ron even knew how to bug their house and the only thing she could think of was that Ron heard of bugging phones from his father who was obsessed with all things muggle related. If it wasn't for the fact that Arthur was such a kind hearted man, Hermione would swear that he only liked her for being a muggle born. "Ginny was telling Harry over their dinner how you were in Italy and was working with Flint Lestrange. And honestly, I came and visited him because I was truly worried for your safety, but then I saw you with Draco. I saw you two holding hands and kissing each other on the streets yesterday. When I found Flint, he had told me that he liked you and was hoping you would go to the ball with him and that you had turned him down. So naturally I told him that you were fucking Malfoy over here. He was a tad heartbroken, but he wanted to get you back and what better way to do so than to invite your ex-fiancé to this ball where you planned on showing off your new fuck boy."

"That's enough Ronald." Hermione was seconds away from cursing Ron is some way shape or form. She was sick of him thinking that he was entitled to act the way that he was acting and he needed a wake up call. Right here. Right now. "How DARE you think that you have ANY right to degrade Draco in this manner! He did not cheat on me weeks prior to our wedding day! Draco loves me unlike you ever did Ronald. You may have loved me in the beginning, but that love left the day you fucked another woman behind my back. I have not once done anything like that to you our whole relationship and I'll be damned if I let you bully me in this way. I love him and you and I will never be together again." Ron stared at Hermione dumb founded as tears fell down her heated face. He didn't know what to say except to ask her why they could never be together again. Hermione just looked at him like he was an idiot as she wiped the tears away.

"For multiple reasons. I no longer love or trust you. And I'm pregnant by the man I love and I plan on being with him until the day I die." Ron's face turned beat red as he looked at her. Draco looked speechless at her announcement. He wasn't sure how to react to the news that he was going to be a father.

"You're…you're pregnant." Draco stammered as he smiled at Hermione. "I'm going to be a father?!" he cupped her face into his hands and passionately kissed her in front of a dumbfounded Ron and Flint. "Thank you so much for giving me the greatest gift of all Hermione. I love you so much." He kissed her one more time before wiping the remainder of her tears away. He couldn't believe that he was going to be a father and that the smartest witch of their age was his child's mother. he was beyond ecstatic. "When did you find out?"

"I found out this morning. That's why I was at the hospital when I had the day off. I had taken a muggle test and then decided that I needed to check my blood so I went to the hospital to do that where no one should bother me on my day off." she grinned at Malfoy. "But then you showed up in my office today right after I had confirmed that I was. I just didn't want to tell you right then and I didn't want to tell you in this manner either. I'm sorry that I didn't inform you in the best way possible. It just slipped out." Draco held Hermione close and put his lips to her ears. Apparently he didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say to her.

"It doesn't matter to me how I am _informed_. What matters to me is your utmost happiness love. I love you and our baby. You have made me the happiest man alive in this moment regardless of the delivery." he finished by kissing her on the ear and placing another soft kiss at the base of her neck. He then met her eyes as he calmly addressed Ron and Flint. "I think it's time that you both leave our presence right now." He turned his gaze to face them. "I don't want her stressed out anymore than you have already caused tonight. Flint, you two are merely coworkers and nothing more well aside from being somewhat related now. As for you Ron, she is your past and not a part of your future. That is just something that you will have to learn to get over."

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Ron bellowed as he swung at Draco barely missing him. Next thing Ron new, Draco punched him square in the face rendering him unconscious. Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and started pulling him towards the doors.

"Come on Draco. Let's leave, Ron's not worth the time and energy. I'm ready to go home." She gave him a tired look as he nodded in agreement. They both headed out the door and straight for home.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Complications**

 _I can't fucking believe that!_ Ron was loathing as he sat on the fountain's edge with a bag of ice on his face; which was throbbing. He looked around the room with disgust until he met the face of his new acquaintance, Flint Lestrange.

"Ron I know that you are probably not in the greatest mood right now, but if you are wanting to press any charges the Aurors are here." Flint jerked his head towards a few men that Ron didn't recognize.

"No Flint, I think I can manage. Besides he is a resident of England not Italy. He's from my neck of the woods, so I will get him when he comes home." He quickly stood up to leave the disastrous ball and head back to England. He was going to make sure that Draco paid for all of this.

"Well, alright Ron. I guess until next time." Flint held out his hand to Ron for him to shake it. Ron paused for a second before deciding to take his hand in his own.

"Yeah." He shook his hand quickly and threw the bag of ice onto the table next to him. "I may or may not keep in touch. If the latter, thanks for helping me uncover the truth." Flint nodded in response as Ron made his way to the door. He didn't give the people at the ball a second glance as he pushed open the door and walked out into the cool nights air to apparate back home to his little apartment in London.

* * *

It was very late by the time Flint reached his house. His head was still trying to wrap itself around the nights events pertaining to Hermione. He felt utterly torn really. Torn between his infatuation with her and his love for his cousin. He kept pinching his arm to make sure that this all just wasn't some odd dream he conjured up in bed. However, each pinch of the arm just confirmed his fears. It all had really happened. The door clicked as he closed it tightly behind him and darkness engulfed him as soon as he entered.

"Lumos" he flicked his wrist and light burst from the end of his wand. "Whose there?" he felt a chill in the air as he asked the dark around him to make their presence known.

 _"The one true Lord of course."_ Flint froze in his spot and couldn't make himself move another inch.

"What do you want?" He wasn't sure if this was some kind of twisted joke or if the dark Lord was really speaking to him.

 _"I am here to speak with my son."_ This really confused Flint. He was the only one who lived in this house, the house of his father in fact. Now he was certain that this supposed Lord had the wrong house, but he was interrupted before he could speak.

 _"How dare you think that I am not the true Lord Voldemort!"_ Flint's eyes widened as he saw the light at the end of his wand flicker at the anger being projected. _"You, Flint, are the son of Bellatrix Lestrange and I. She was obsessed with me and lucky for her she was a faithful and truly loyal pureblood. Your namesake was honored to have me sire a child with his wife. For he knew the importance of leaving a legacy as great as what I have made. I let you keep the name Lestrange, a pure blood name for the purposes of hiding you from the world until you were ready for harvesting. And I think that the time is now for you to pick up where I could not continue. What's say you?_ "

Flint couldn't muster the words. His thoughts were completely jumbled. Not only was his whole life a lie, but he was also the son of the most feared wizard of all time. And to think he was just worrying about a crush a moment ago.

 _"Time is of the essence my boy!"_ The voice caused him to jump and drop his wand in between his feat.

"I am not sure what to think right now, but I do know that my mother was preparing me for this moment. As petrified as I look, I am ready to accept your gracious offer my Lord." Flint glanced up and down and around the room for any sign of acknowledgement from Voldemort.

 _"Good."_ The dark voice chuckled into the air sending chills down Flint's spine. _"We have a lot of work to do with you. But first, let's get this girl out of your heart."_

* * *

"Bloody hell." Ron knocked over his lamp as he reappeared in his apartment in London. He was very glad to be home for numerous reasons. For one; he now knew what happened to Hermione and was welcoming the peace and none complications of his apartment. And secondly, he was anxious to speak with Harry about what he now knew. He knew that Harry had been painstakingly looking for Hermione since she had left. Hopefully this would both anger and put Harry at ease about her missing.

Ron finished picking up the remaining glass from the lamp he damaged before heading out his door. Thankfully, Harry only lived about three blocks from him and he needed the walk to clear his thoughts before having such an intense conversation with Harry and Ginny. Ginny…he had completely forgotten about his little sister. _Hopefully she is at practice_. He thought with his fingers crossed. That was one last person that he wanted to see today. Although, she may forgive his transgressions now considering that Hermione was pregnant by none other than Malfoy.

Ron sneered at the thought of this fact. He was still reeling at the possibility of it considering how much those two disliked each other. Did they really hate Ron so much to have sex with each other?

He stopped in front of the large deep purple door that belong to the Potter's home.

"Come on mate, how hard can this be after last night?" he chuckled a bit at himself. "Let's have it then." He raised his hand to knock but missed as the door unexpectedly flung open.

"Bloody hell Ron!." It was Harry. "Hit me why dontcha?" They looked at each other for a few seconds before Harry continued. "Get in here you git." Harry opened the door wider and stepped aside for Ron to make his way inside. Ron walked briskly into their foyer as Harry closed the door firmly behind him.

"Is Ginny home at all mate?" Ron looked around nervously as he asked about his sister.

"No Ron. She had a night practice since they have a highly important game this weekend. She's been practicing three times a day." Harry looked exasperated as he passed the information on to Ron.

"That's a lot of practicing." Ron's eyes widened. "I love the game, but even that's too much in my opinion."

"Yeah, you're telling me. She's dedicated though and not to mention, she gets paid unlike us while playing at Hogwarts." Harry led him into the living room and he gestured for Ron to sit on the coach. "What brings you here anyway Ron? You know you can always talk to me tomorrow at the office so you don't have to risk seeing your sister." Harry chuckled at the thought of Ron being afraid to see his youngest sibling.

"Yeah, I know. I have something to tell you that can't wait for tomorrow though." Ron looked around anxiously not knowing where to start his story.

Well what is it Ron?" Harry looked at him patiently even though he could tell that he wasn't being very patient at all. He decided that it would just be best to start from the beginning.

"I have been working on that case for a few months, right? You know the one with the muggles being tortured and all. Well, that case led me to Italy." Harry placed his tea down slowly from his lips as he intently listened to Ron's story being told. "I found her Harry."

"Found who?" then Harry's eyes flickered as he realized who he was referring to. "You found Hermione?"

"Yeah," Ron smiled briefly and then it disappeared as he continued to speak. "I saw her from behind and you know that I can't resist her no matter what angle I see her at. Well I followed her to this hospital and was stopped inside by a fellow doctor of hers. Is name was Flint Lestrange." Harry spit out his tea. "Bloody hell Harry!"

"Lestrange!? Are you sure that those two work together? Do you remember what Bellatrix had done to her! Are you sure you have the right name?" Harry had to act like he was finding out this information all over again.

"I am positive mate. Calm down. He is surprisingly nothing like his mother." Harry looked at Ron like he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. "Anyway, he convienced me to surprise her at their company ball that night since, to his knowledge, she was going stag. So that's what I had planned to do. Once she arrived, we found out that she was actually not alone." Harry's face turned white fearing that Ron was going to say Draco's name. "She was there with that git Malfoy! And she's pregnant by him to boot!" Ron jumped up as he remembered how angry he was by this fact.

"Whose pregnant?" Ginny dropped her shoes as she was standing in the door way. Ron and Harry quickly met her gaze. "And why the sam hell are you in my house?" Ginny turned her gaze from Ron to Harry. "What is going on here? And how did you find out?" Harry felt very confused by this question of hers. She directed that last one completely to him.

"Ginny, Ron found Hermione on his own. Well, thanks to Flint Lestrange that is." Harry squinted his eyes as she looked like she was about to curse one of them.

"Excuse me?!" yep, she was now raising her voice as she quickly looked between the both of them.

"I saw her on a business trip to Italy so I followed her to her work. That was where I met Flint and he told me that she was going stag to a company party and that I should surprise her there. So I went to do just that to only find out that she was with Draco and now she is pregnant by him as well." Ron quickly glanced at Harry as it looked like Ginny was about to pass out.

"I have to lie down." Harry grabbed her by the hand and helped her to the coach to lay down. "I thought that you were talking about someone else being pregnant."

"You're telling me that you aren't surprised about what I just said?" Ron looked at her in disbelief as she took a couple slow, deep breaths.

"I knew about everything, but her being pregnant." _Oh shit_ , thought Harry as he watched Ron's face turn red.

"YOU KNEW!? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT HER!?" he was furious now.

"Like you deserved to know after the way you went behind her back and slept with that whore Lucy." Harry thought about the exchanges that went on earlier and stood up quickly.

"Hold on Ron," Harry held out his hand to him as he looked at Ginny. "Who else is pregnant Ginny?" Ron looked confusedly at Harry as he waited for Ginny to respond.

She sighed before meeting his gaze.

"We are Harry." Ron opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted.

"Get out Ron, you have caused enough stress for one day. We will talk about what you discovered at work. Which is where this conversation will remain. I don't want her to stress out about this."

"Alright then." Ron apparated out of their home and back to his apartment.


	13. Chapter 13

**Making Amends**

Hermione slowly moved out from underneath Draco's arm as she climbed out of bed. The events of yesterday were still fresh on her mind. She not only had told Ron off, but she also told Draco that they were expecting a baby. A baby with Draco Malfoy. Her heart fluttered at the thought of having a child with the man that she now loved.

Looking at him now, she couldn't believe how far they had made it in their relationship. They were once students at Hogwarts that despised each other and now there they were sleeping in the same bed together and expecting a child.

Hermione was startled by the sound of her phone going off. It looked like someone was calling her from England. _Well, as long as it is not Ron it won't be so bad._ She clicked answer on her phone to find out who was trying to get ahold of her.

"Hello?" Hermione breathed as she listened for a response.

"Hermione?" asked a deep voice on the other end of the line. She knew right away who was on the phone with her at that moment.

"Harry," she had truly missed her friend Harry Potter ever since she left England on her wedding day. He was her best friend and she had just upped and left not only Ron but him as well. She had felt terrible about doing that ever since that day. "How have you been?"

"Well, I have been better to tell you the truth." He sighed before continuing. "I could really use my best friend right now though." Hermione's heart felt like it was crumbling.

"Harry, I'm sorry that I didn't contact you after I left. I have felt horrible about it ever since it happened." She paused and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I should have been there all along, I just thought that it would be easier to stay away from Ron if I cut off all ties."

"Hermione, it's fine. I mean I was very hurt about you leaving and contacting Ginny before even thinking about getting ahold of me." Hermione closed her eyes as she remembered that she had indeed contacted Ginny and not even bothered contacting Harry. "But that's not the point. The point is that I need my best friend right now."

"Of course, what's going on Harry?"

"I'm going to be a father Hermione." Her eyes widened at his statement. She couldn't believe that they were both going to have their first child around the same time together. She had to tell him that her and Draco were expecting as well.

"Harry that's wonderful news!" She started to cry as she continued. "We are going to have babies together. Draco and I are expecting a little one as well."

"I know, Ron told me yesterday when he barged into my home and yelled at me about what you were up to. That's when I found out that Ginny was pregnant as well."

"Hold on Harry, I can't let you in my life if you tell Ron things about me and Draco. I think that we both can agree that Ron has been acting pretty obsessed lately."

"No I agree, he has been very obsessed about you. I don't plan on telling him anything about you though. He doesn't deserve to know. I understand why you have kept your distance from me. You probably didn't want to put me in this position, but now I am placing myself there. We need each other Hermione." He paused waiting with anticipation to hear her response.

"Okay then, as long as Ron doesn't hear anything about us." Hermione heard Draco exit the bed and make his way to the toilet. "Listen Harry, I have to go. Draco just woke up and I would like to make some breakfast before we have to go our separate ways today. It was really good to hear from you."

"Likewise Hermione. I guess I will talk to you later then. Have a splendid day."

"Bye Harry." She hung up on him as Draco placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you doing alright love?" he looked at her with so much concern in his eyes as he positioned his body in front of hers.

"Yeah, that was just Harry. It's been so long since the last time I had spoken with him is all." He kissed her cheek and swept away a tear. "I really do miss him and Ginny. I miss all the Weasleys too. Except for Ron, I could do without seeing him."

"Well darling, we could always move back. My estate is in England and it would be nice to have our child grow up there. And when he or she turns 11 they can attend Hogwarts like their mum and dad did at their age." She smiled brightly at the thought of their child attending their alma mater. She even liked the idea of them going to school with a Potter as well.

"Draco, Ginny is pregnant right now too. So that would mean that our kids will be going to Hogwarts together if we go this route." She looked at him hopefully while she tried to assess his expression.

"Okay, that's fine by me. I don't mind that at all. Harry and Ginny are wonderful wizards. And I don't care about statuses anymore. I mean that's pretty obvious isn't it love?" Hermione gave Draco a smirk and kissed his chest before placing her head against him.

"Yes, it is extremely obvious how you feel now. I say let's move back to England. I will put my two weeks in at the hospital today and when we get there I will search for a hospital to transfer to." Hermione quickly kissed Draco on the lips and jumped up to begin getting ready for work.

"Whoa whoa wait a minute Hermione." She spun around to face him as he grabbed both of her hands in his. "You no longer have to work. A matter of fact, I would prefer that you no longer worked so that you could stay home and raise our child."

"Excuse me?" she was not happy about this statement at all. "I have worked way too hard for myself to throw it all away. Just because we are having a child does not mean that I have to give up on myself."

"I never said that.." Hermione cut him off.

"You might have well said that! You want me to no longer work, so that I can take care of our child. I will love our child with every fiber of my being, but I will not stop working." She glared at him as there was a long pause now. Draco quickly determined that she might not budge on the matter, but he had to try one more thing.

"Darling, you won't have to work is all I am saying. I have more than enough money for the both of us and I want what will be best for our child and you." He paused to see if that helped calm her a bit. It didn't really do much since she was still glaring at him. So it was time for a different approach. "Look how about a compromise?"

"What compromise?" she skeptically asked him.

"How about you work only three days a week. This way you still work like you want to and our child will still be taken care of the way I think he or she should be."

"Have you even considered how I think our child should be raised?" she raised her eyebrow at Draco as he stood there looking rather defeated by her. "That's what I thought. I want to still work full time at a hospital. I also was thinking of our child going to a public school in England before going to Hogwarts. I think that it would be good for our child to have some experience with muggles before being subjected to the views of some at Hogwarts."

"Okay Hermione, if that is what you think would be best for our child then that is what we will do. I truly want what's best for our kid, I really do. I don't want others watching our child though. I don't like to rely on people outside my immediate family to take care of us. School is different because they are being paid to educate our children, but when a parent can stay home during the pivotal years of upbringing.." he paused a brief moment. "Well Hermione, that's what I want for our child."

She hadn't thought of it that way really. Both of her parents were dentists that were dedicated to their profession. She remembered going to her grandparents' home a lot as a child and not going to a childcare facility. Her heart was set on working for as long as she could. She loved helping others and facing challenges every day.

"Hermione?" Draco interrupted her thoughts on the matter as his voice snapped her back to the reality in her bedroom. "Are you mad at me love?" he was now looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"No," she grabbed his closest hand and placed it in her lap as she slowly traced his knuckles. "I am just thinking about everything that you just said is all. I want what is best for our child too. And I also want what is best for me." She paused to take in her thoughts before continuing. "I know that having a child changes everything sometimes and my career is something that I don't want to change. I want to go above and beyond what I expect of myself. I know that I can do that and be an amazing mother at the same time. I don't want to sell myself short Draco. I need to think more about the subject."

"Well we do have some time before the baby arrives. For the time being, why don't we just focus on moving back to London and getting you a job where you want to be? This way you can decide after our child is born. I'll give you space about it Hermione, but we will need a decision before you return from maternity leave. I don't want anyone else to take care of our child."

Hermione nodded as Draco stood up to get dressed for the day. She knew that this was going to be the hardest decision that she has had yet to make and she was not looking forward to figuring it out for once.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I have been doing many fun and exciting things lately. I spent a month in Costa Rica for school and I just now started a full time job.**

 **Life can be full of wonder and excitement. You just have to take a breather and look around.**

 **I hope you all are living life to the fullest!**

 **Enjoy the chapter and let me know your thoughts :)**

 **Pawns on The Board**

Flint had just arrived to the hospital when he saw her. She looked beautiful as she walked through the hallway carrying her morning smoothie.

"Morning Flint." She said with disdain as she walked by him. He just smiled at her and waved passed the awkwardness while avoiding direct eye contact. He hadn't seen her since that eventful night at the hospital ball. He was such a mess that night after finding out that the whole time she had been dating his cousin Draco. And then his night took a turn when he found out that he was Voldemort's son.

Voldemort had a mission for him and it was not going to be a small task. He just wasn't sure yet what that mission was going to be and it was making him anxious.

 _What if I have to kill someone…_ he thought darkly as he entered his office. His heart skipped a beat when he replayed Voldemort's words about Hermione in his head. If he had to kill her…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! He jumped at the sound made at his door. He was not expecting anyone during this hour, hopefully it wasn't an emergency. He definitely wasn't focused enough for that.

"Yes, come in." he waited patiently for the door to open and fill with the person wanting his attention. To his surprise it was Draco. "Cousin, what brings me the honor of having you here to visit me?"

"I need to talk to you about some things." Draco looked around in the hallway before closing the door quietly behind him. "Some strange things have been occurring lately and I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of them and won't be caught doing anything that would make anyone think you are a part of it." _Shit, has Voldemort been doing things that I don't know about?_

"Well, I don't do much aside from working, eating and sleeping Draco." He smirked up at his cousin. "What has been going on anyway?" he calmly asked as he placed himself behind his desk.

"Ron Weasley has been tracking a muggle killer that has been traveling all over Europe. His last trace evidence led him to Italy…to this exact town to be precise. However, once he arrived here the killings have ceased." Draco looked worriedly at Flint as if he was hoping beyond all hope that Flint had nothing to do with these heinous acts against muggles. "My point is that Ron is a funny guy. He is pissed off about the whole Hermione and I thing and I don't want him thinking that he can change her mind about me by going after my family under false accusations. The last thing that any of us need is him poking his nose about here trying to frame our bloodlines for crimes that you and I have no part in."

"If I have no part in these crimes then we have nothing to worry about Draco. I am scott free of that mess. I told you once already that I have nothing going on outside of eating, sleeping and work."

"I know that, but you don't know Ron like I do. He will try to take Hermione from me just like he thinks that I took her from him. He will find it hard to believe that his evidence lead him here where a Malfoy and Lestrange were both found. Granted, you showed him that you were not too pleased to find out that Hermione and I are together, but he won't care about that for too long. Mark my words on that one."

"So you think that Ron will try to frame me to get to you and Hermione?" Flint looked at Draco like he was crazy. "First of all, why wouldn't he just go straight for you? You travel much more frequently than I do which would make more sense from what you have told me."

"The thing about that is that I have solid alibies as to where and why I am where I am. He can't go for me. Hermione and I have been seeing each other for months now and she knows where I have been. She wouldn't believe him and she would know that he was just trying to get her to leave me." Draco paced the room now with a furrowed brow as he thought allowed. "It would then anger her and she would probably get him fired. I wish he would try to go after me directly. But he won't do that. So he has to make her think that my family is the far from what she wants to be a part of." Draco stopped and turned to face Flint as he strode up to the front of his desk. "Think about it, his family all love muggles and anything that has to do with them. She is from a muggle family Flint. If Ron can even convince her that I have a current muggle killer for a relative she will leave me for fear of our child's future since he will not be a pure blood." The two men's eyes met at the same time for a split second. "We have to figure out who's doing it before Ron pins the mess on you."

Hermione was walking around the hospital checking on her patients as a part of her morning rounds. She had already analyzed any and all over their bloodwork and other paperwork so she could further help them with their current conditions. The next visit was of a man she was very fond of, Amos Diggory.

As she entered the room, she spotted him sitting in the corner staring out the window as he held a photo of his son Cedric.

"Good morning Mr. Diggory." She cheerfully addressed him as she walked over to the chair opposite him.

"I don't know how many times I must tell you to please call me Amos dear Hermione." He smiled up at her as she sat in her seat. They would have these little banters every morning as per his routine in the hospital. See Amos Diggory had gone very looney at the loss of his son Cedric and Hermione insisted that he stay at the hospital with her since he only responded positively to her. All his other nurses and doctors would receive nothing but hateful rhetoric and sometimes he would lash out at them. Amos was a very angry and bitter man without Cedric. It actually surprised everyone that Amos was okay with Hermione considering it was her friend who last saw Cedric alive.

She smiled warmly back at him. "Alright Amos. Let's talk about how your night went for you." She looked at the papers on her clipboard as she began to read the scribblings of his night nurse. "You had a nightmare I see. Do you mind telling me what it was about?" laid the papers flat as she enchanted her quill to write down whatever Amos said to her about his dreams the previous night. He absently gazed out the window as he began to tell her of his dream.

"It was dark and cold in my dream. I could walk without any assistance, but I continued to stumble as I tried to find a way out of the darkness. My hands could feel bones and rocks all around me. It felt like I was in some kind of a cave. But I could hear something or someone ever so faintly in the distance. I tried to follow the sound, which was maddening in the dark. I sat down and closed my eyes to help my focusing on the noise. I was finally able to focus more and follow it correctly. The closer to the noise I became; the deeper the voice grew." Amos became silent suddenly yet continued to gaze out the window.

"Amos, you said that the sound was indeed a voice?" he nodded slowly. "Do you know whose voice it was?" Hermione started to grow concerned about him. He hadn't dreamed of Cedric for a long time and she was hoping that this wasn't another one of those dreams that brought him into a frenzy.

"You're pregnant aren't you?" he was now glaring at her and no longer occupied with the sky out his window. Hermione was taken aback by his question. She hadn't told anyone at the hospital of her pregnancy and she wasn't showing enough yet to be much of a notice.

"How did you know that?" puzzled by his question and honestly a bit horrified, she tried to come off as merely curious of his question.

"The Dark Lord knows everything Hermione." Amos smiled a most sinister smile and he snickered. "He knows of the child growing inside your womb and of the lineage of his father. He will do dastardly things in the name of our Lord. That he will!" She stood up quickly and pushed her chair away from her and she ran from the room terrified of what had just happened with Amos.

"Hermione!" Flint looked surprised as she ran straight into him. "What's going on? What are you running from?" he was truly concerned about her.

"I need to see Draco. We need Amos locked up now! He has been having vivid dreams about Voldemort and he knew of my pregnancy Flint." She cried as he held onto her arms. She was petrified of the idea that Voldemort was trying to come back and was targeting her child. She had no idea what she was going to do about the situation and just needed to see Draco.

"He was just here looking for you actually." Flint looked into her eyes as she pulled away from his chest where she was crying. "But Amos has been through a lot and like you said Voldemort is gone. Harry defeated him and he is no longer around. You have nothing to worry about. Amos is delusional, old and a bitter man. It sounds like he just wanted to scare you to me." Hermione started to collect her composure by this point. Flint's words had made a lot of sense to her and she was now beginning to nod in agreement with him.

"I am going to go and contact Draco and put in an order of transfer for Amos Diggory." Her eyes met his as she explained. "I cannot allow him to harm my child. It is not worth the risk. Even if what you say is true, he might still try to harm my child."

"I understand completely, but let me take care of that for you too." He took her clipboard and quill from her as he guided her towards her office. "Go call Draco, he will want to hear from you about this."

 _Good job son. Now go see our dear friend Amos._ Voldemort hissed in his ear.


End file.
